LECTURES 



IN DEFENCE OF 



DIVINE REVELATION, 



DELIVERED AT THE 



I NIVERSALIST CHAPEL, IN PROVIDENCE, R, L 



BY DAVID PICKERING, 

Pastor of the First Universalist Church and Society. 



" God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time 
past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken 
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things." 

'* Prove all things ; hold fast that which is good." St. Paul. 



PROVIDENCE. 
PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL W WHEELER. 

Cranston & Knowles, Prmters. 

1830. 
L 



Y'^ n 



Rhode-Island District^ sc. 

Be it remembered, That on this tenth day of February^ 
[L. S.] A. D. one thousand eig-ht hundred and thu-ty, and in the 
fifty-fourth year of the independence of the United States 
of America, Samuel' W. Wheeler, of said District, deposited in this 
office the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as proprietor^ 
in the following* words to wit : 

"Lectures in Defence of Divine Revelation, delivered at the Uni- 
versalist Chapel in Providence, R. I. by David Pickering, Pastor of 
the First Universalist Church and Society." 

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time 
past unto t)ie fathers by the Prophets, hath in these last days spoken 
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of ail things." 

"Prove all things, hold fast that which is good.*' — St. Paul. 

In conformity to an act of Congress of the United States, entitled 
** an act for tlie encouragement ot learning by securing the copies of 
maps, charts and books to the authors and proprietors of such cop- 
ies, during the time therein mentioned," and also to an act entitled 
"an act supplementary to an act entitled an act for the encourage- 
ment of learning by securing the copies of maps, charts and books to 
the authors and proprietors of such copies during the time therein 
mentioned and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designings 
etching and engraving historical and other prints.** 

BENJAMIN COWELL, 
Ckf'k of the Bhodc-Island District , 



i 






I 



CONTENTS OF THE LECTURES. 



LECTURE I. /P_ 

The existence of God proved by the works of nature, and the evi- 
dences drawn from physical science ; together with the nature of 
that service which he requires of mankind, and the moral fitness, 
duty, necessity and advantages of Prayer. - - - - 7 
Text—3o^ xxi. 15. "What is the Almighty, that we should 

serve him ? and what profit should we have if we pray unto him ?'' 

LECTURE IL 

The necessity of a Divine Revelation, drawn from the history of man, 
with and without a revelation, contrasted. - - - - 25 

Tea;/— Isaiah xl. 5. ** The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, 
and all flesh shall see it together." 

LECTURE ni. 

Same subject continued. -- - - - - - -37 

LECTURE IV. 

The credibility of the Mosaic History established by the testimony 
of ^^'ofane historians, who liave borne witness to some of the lead- 
ing i»nd most important facts which it contains. - - - 48 
TiXt — Exodus iii. 11. *' And Moses said unto God, Who am I, 
iould go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the chil- 
Israel out of Egypt i*" 

LECTURE V. 

The History of the Deluge, supported by well established facts, and 
the concurrent testimony of scfme of the most ancient nations. 59 
Text — St Luke xvii. 27 " 1 hey did eat, they drank, they mar- 
ried wives, they were given in marriage, until the day tliat Noe en- 
tered into the ark : and the flood came and destroyed them all." 

LECTURE VL 

Same subject continued. - - 70 

LECTURE Vn. 

The destruction of Sodom and the Cities of the Plain, proved by the 
acknowledgment of eaily profane writers, and by evidences still 
remaining on the spot. - - - - - - - 80 

Text — II Peter ii. 6. ** And turning the cities of Sodom and Go- 
morrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them 
an ensample unto those that after should hve ungodly." 



IV CONTENTS. 

LECTURE VIII. 

The Prophetic Character of Moses, estabhshed by astonishing pre- 
dictions, which have been, for ages, and are stili fulfilUng. - , 91 
I'ext—^T. JoHif, V. 46, 4r. « Had ye believed Moses, ye would 
have beheved me : for he wrote of me. But if ye beheve not his 
writmgs, how shall ye believe my words ?" 

LECTURE IX. 

Same subject continued. 103 

LECTURE X. 

The prophetical waitings of the Old Testament are identified with 
the history of tlie Jews, and cannot be overthrown without de- 
stroying their history 119 

Texl-^Acts xxvi. 27. " Believest thou the prophets }" 
LECTURE XI. 

The life, labors, ministry, miracles, death and resurrection of Jesus 
Christ, supported by plain and stubborn facts. - - 131 
Text -Uebrews i. 1,2. ** God, who at sundry times and in 
divers manners spake in time past unto tlie fat tiers by the prophets, 
hath in tliese last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath ap- 
pointed heir of all things." 

LECTURE XII. 

Same subject continued. 142 

LECTURE XIII. 

Proofs of the genuineness and authenticity of the Books of the New 
Testament. - 159 

Text — St. Luke i. 1 — 4, " Forasmuch as many have taken in 
hand to set in order a decluration of those tilings which are most 
surely believed among us, even as they delivered tliem unto us, which 
from the beginning were eye-Witnessesand ministers of the word ; it 
seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all 
things from the very first, to write unto thee, in order, most excellent 
Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things 
V. herein thou hast been instructed." 

LECTURE XIV. 

Some of the leading causes of infidelity considered, and the hopes 
^of skepticism compared with those which Revelation unfolds. 180 

7'ext — St. John, x. 20, 21. ** And many of them said, He hath 
a devil and is mad ; why hi ar ye him ^ Others said, These are not 
the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eves of 
the bhnd ?" 

LECTURE XV. 

Same subject continued* - • 200 



TO THE READER. 




When the author cornmenced this course of Lectures, 
lie had no expectation that they would ever be requested 
for the press ; nor had he any object to secure, except 
that of guarding the nninds of those who attended on his 
ministry against the insidious influence of modern infidel- 
ity, which, like the pestilence^ icalkeih in darkness, and 
tvasteth at noon-day. And while he is aware that these 
Lectures are far from being the best which could have been 
produced upon the general merits of the subjects which 
they embrace, he is nevertheless conscious that they have 
been prepared from the purest motives, and with an ardent 
and sincere desire to promote the knowledge and practice 
cf revealed religion. 

The eye of the critic will doubtless discover many im- 
perfections, both in the style and method of arrangement ; 
but the arrangement is that which first suggested itself, 
when the plan of these Lectures was hastily drawn up : 
And as it respects the style, the author has aimed at 
nothing but plainness and simplicity, which he thinks is 
better adapted to a subject which requires the united force 
of argument and evidence, than any rhetorical embellish- 
ments which lay within his reach. 

As several of the following Lectures were written and 
delivered before they were demanded for the press, it is 
possible that some parts of sentences may have been 
taken from those authors which were consulted, without 
giving due credit for the same : should any instances of 
this kind occur in the following pages, the reader is here- 
by assured that they are unintentional. 

The author is aware that he has passed by many impor- 
tant subjects, contained in the Scriptures, and which are 
supported by the authority of profane historians ; and he 
2 



8 ' DEFENCE Of 

words of our text aiTord siifBcient evidence that there were 
men of this description in former ages, notwithstanding all 
the plain and impressive indications of a divine and intel- 
ligent First Cause, scattered throughout the boundless 
immensity and endless variety of the works of creation and 
providence. Hence the necessity of meeting characters 
of this description upon the ground of their own choice, 
and of employing the weapons upon which they profess to 
dependj becomes obvious to every candid and reflecting 
mind. 

Those who call in question the e?<istence of a Supreme 
Being, alternately affect to be very wise and very ignorant. 
At one time you may hear them expatiating upon the as- 
tonishing laws and properties of nature ; admiring the or- 
der, regularity, and harmony of the physical universe, and 
really enthusiastic in their encomiums upon the wisdom, 
beauty and exuberance of nature : They appear to take 
delight in wandering back through the history of antique 
ages, and drawing from the records of olden time, the ev- 
idence of nature's constant and unchanging profusion. 
They will often profess a profound veneration and respect 
for the wisdom of nature's laws, and gravely philosophize 
upon the moral and social duties of mankind. But sim- 
ply ask them whence these laws originated ; from whom 
sprang this admirable order, regularity and harmony, so 
visible in the physical universe ; -and who is the author of 
nature, with all the profusion of blessings which it brings 
to man ? and they will then change their position, and be- 
gin to plead the inability of mankind to form any correct 
conclusion of the source whence they had their origin ; 
and of course, endeavour to persuade you, that for aught 
we know, they existed without beginning. With such 
pleas, and by confident appeals to man's ignorance of what 
he does not absolutely see, hear, feel, taste or smell, they 
have succeeded in many cases, in silencing those whose 
opportunities have not permitted them to read and inves- 
tigate the subject with judgment and success : It may 
therefore be useful to push our inquiries still further, and 
if possible, sift this skeptical theory to the bottom. 

What do these men, these pretended philosophers, mean 
by nature ? Do Ihey mean any thing more than the ma- 



DiriNE REVELATION. 



^ 



teiials which compose the solar system, of which the globe 
we inhabit is a part ?— If this be their meaning, then nature, 
according to their system, is nothing more nor less than 
an immense mass of simple and elementary substances, 
combining by mere accident, and producing without design, 
thought, or reflection, all that is wise and unerring in the 
order of the seasons, all that is lovely on the face of the 
globe, all the beautiful, all the admirable variety ofenam- 
elled flowers, all the wholesome fruits of the field, with all 
the vast armies of moving life which people every realm ! 
Nor is this all ; — beings possessing the faculties of thought, 
reflection, will and memory, are likewise the production 
of an unthinking, an unreflecting and an univilliiig cause ! 
But reason would blush to admit that any cause ever pro- 
duced an efiect above itself, or that any effect ever exist- 
ed independent of its cause. 

Will the skeptic, to extricate himself from this absurdi- 
ty, now assert that nature is intelligent ? We deny the as- 
sertion, and demand the proof; — for what is nature, but 
the material system of things f And is matter intelligent ? 
If so, then are stocks aad stones, trees and plants, vege- 
tables and minerals, of every description, — Nay, more ; 
even dead and mouldering carcases are possessed of this 
noble and distinguishing property ! Observation has long 
since demonstrated to our senses, with sufficient clearness, 
that nothing can afford the evidence of intelligence, which 
does not possess animal" life. Whatever is destitute of in- 
telligence, must, of necessity, be incapable of desigrr. 
Matter, therefore, being destitute of this property, could 
not have produced the order of nature, nor designed the 
existence of a single form, in all the vegetable kingdom ; 
much less the activity, sprightliness and intelligence, so 
visible through all the animal tribes of air and earth and 
seas. This position, therefore, is not only without proof, 
but it is absolutely unphilosophical, opposed to all tangi- 
ble evidence, and falls little short of the grossest absurd- 
ity. 

Matter is capable of being moulded into every variety 
of form, and the ingenuity of man has converted it to all 
the purposes of usefulness and convenience. But who 
ever dreamed that the artist was torturing intelligence. 



10 DEFENCE OF 

when shaping his iron upon the anvil — melting the pre- 
cious metals, or reliaing the silver and the gold by the ap-* 
plication of tire ? Who ever thought that the sculptor was 
inflicting misery upon the senseless marble and the passive 
block of wood, when piymg his art, to please the eye and 
gratify the taste ! And who would not blush to be found 
an advocate for such monstrous absurdities ? Yet, the sup- 
position that intelligence is an original and essential prop- 
erty of matter, necessarily involves this conclusion ; since 
it is a well-known truth, that the amputation of the small- 
est parts of an animal form, or of a being possessing life or 
knowledge, is productive of those keen sensations of mis- 
ery which always give birth to anxiety for the means of 
escaping whatever portends their danger of injury or pain. 
The hypothesis, therefore, that matter is necessarily pos- 
sessed of intelligence, denotes a credulity and extrava- 
gance bordering upon madness. 

Perhaps we may be told, that although matter is not ab- 
solutely intelligent, yet intelligence is the effect of a pe- 
cuhar and happy organization of matter. This theory is 
by no means new, nor will it stand the test of logical in- 
vestigation. It requires but a moment's reflection to dis- 
cover that this proposition is a fair acknowledgment that 
intelligence is not coeval, with matter, but the effect of a 
secondary cause : For it supposes Jirst^ the existence of 
matter ; secondly, a peculiar organization, and ihirdlifj 
this organization produces an effect, which is intelligence : 
So that this wonderful proposition, of Atheistical pedigree, 
bears its illustrious inventor in unenviable triumph, to the 
following climax of absurdity — matter is active and uner- 
ring, though entirely passive and unintelligent ! It has, 
without intelhgence, produced the most astonishing effect, 
namely, a perlect system of organization, which indicates 
one of the profoundest designs of wisdom ! And finally, 
that organization, though equally destitute of wisdom or 
knowledge, has produced all the intelligence which is dis- 
played through the immensity of the heavens, and is in- 
scribed on all the beauty and variety of this lower world ! ! 
The authors and disciples of this scheme, are therefore 
welcome to all the literary fame, and all the philosophical 
renown, which it is capable of yielding its primogenitors, 
and the whole train of its sapient foster-fathers. 



DIVINE REVELATION. 1 1 

Let US now bestow a moment's reflection upon the trite 
reply with which we are frequently turnislied by our skep- 
tical opponents, to the question, whence originated all the 
beautiiul scenery ol nature, the order and perfect regu- 
larity, the infinite variety and harmony of the universe r 
They tell us with much assurance, that they are all pro- 
duced by the laws of nature But what do they mean by 
the laws of nature — or by any laws ? Do they not know 
that laws are the re^iult of wisdom, of thought, reflection^ 
calculation or design ? And can there be design, without 
a designer ? We have before shown that intelligence is 
not a property of matter ; — from whence, then, emanated 
the design which has given birth to the laws of order ? 
Certainly not from an unintell gent source, but from a 
Being of infinite and unerring wisdom. Skeptics often, 
when interrogated concerning the astonishing effects, 
which are every where visible throughout the world, and 
which infinitely surpass the limits of human agency to 
accomplish, reply, ^' they are produced by the laws of 
nature:" — But what are the laws of nature, but plans of 
intelligence or the designs of a thinking and reflecting 
mind ? and can laws, plans or designs execute them- 
selves ? Who does not know that effects are produced by 
power^ and not by laws ? Laws can do nothing more than 
mark out the order in which effects are to be accomplish* 
ed in succession, by the application of physical or moral 
force. So that all this prating about the wonderful ef- 
fects which are produced by the laws of nature, is no- 
thing more than a senseless jargon of unintelligible non* 
sense. 

Atheism has assumed still another form, and pleaded 
the absolute eteymihj of matter. But what authority have 
Atheists ever produced to prove this hypothesis } Will 
they pretend that history v;arrants such an assertion } 
They dare not do this ; for they know that history plainly 
teaches the creation of the world.- Will they assume it 
as a fact, that philosophy justiiies such a conclusion ? We 
reply, that philosophy is utterly incapable of determining 
the fact, since ail the evidence that can have any direct 
bearing upon the subject, is derived from revelati(?n, and 
lies not in the path of philosophical speculation, Philoso- 



12 DEFEN'CE OF 

phy is nothing more nor less than the kii-owledge oi 
things, natural and moral, grounded upon human reason 
and experience : — And does reason teaeh us that gross 
particles of matter are intelligent and capable of design- 
ing all the beautiful order and harmony with which we 
are surrounded ? And is there any thing in the expe- 
rience of human beings which teaches them that matter 
is eternal; uncreated and independent ? — for it must be 
independent, if it be eternal ! But who does not know 
that matter is so far subservient to human power and hu- 
man ingenuity, as to be converted into every variety of 
form, and to every purpose of convenience ? We have be- 
fore shown that intelligence is hot an original property of 
matter ; and taken a passing notice of the hypothesis, 
that intelligence is the effect of organization : And al- 
though the gross absurdity and impossibility of this theory 
has been plainly pointed out, it may yet be useful to ob- 
serve that the most obvious facts forbjd its admission. 
For example : A shock of electric fluid will instantly 
extinguish animal life, without producing the slightest 
change of organic structure : — again ; withhold a con- 
stant supply of atmospheric air from the lungs of any be- 
ing, and it destroys animal life, while every organ remains 
unimpaired. And will any man have the madness and 
folly to contend that an animal possesses intelligence 
without life ! The supposition is too preposterous, even 
to be named ; and yet the atheistical scheme which we 
have noticed, involves this, with numerous other absurdi- 
ties, equally repugnant to reason and philosophy. 

There is one plea which has been urged in favor of the 
absolute eternity of matter, which we feel bound to notice, 
as considerable dependence has been placed upon what it 
supposes to be an undeniable fact. The advocates of this 
scheme assert, with great apparent triumph and assurance, 
that matter is indestructible ; that it cannot be annihilated, 
or by any m.eans made to cease or disappear. But we de- 
mand — how do our opponents know that matter is incapa- 
ble of being destroyed ? Have they any demonstrative proof 
of what they assert ? Permit me, then, to tell them that this 
is a mere assumption, without any solid evidence for its sup- 
port. Am I told in reply, that we cannot annihilate a sin- 



DIVINE REVELATION. 13 

gle particle of matter ; that when we decompose any ma- 
terial substance, it is only separated, so that each particle 
of its composition returns to its native element ? This 
fact is readily admitted ; — but does this orove that matter 
cannot be destroyed ? To show the weakness of this ar- 
gument, let me ask in return, can we originate a single 
particle of matter ? Can we create a spire of grass ? — 
And is it surprising that we are not furnished with the 
power to annihilate what we have no power to originate ? 
Again — is the inability of man, who is the creature of a 
day, and every moment dependent on a higher power than 
he can boast, for every breath he draws, and for every 
pulsation of the heart, a sufficient evidence of the inde- 
structibility of matter ? No man who possesses any thing 
like a fair claim to the^ifl of reason, will venture to de- 
fend a proposition so absurd and extravagant. 

I expect, my hearers, to be able to prove by fair and 
tangible evidence, that the globe, which we inhabit, had 
a beginning ; and if it had a beginning, it is evident to 
reason, that the same power which gave it being, can de- 
stroy and strike it out of existence. 

I am aware that some professors of Christianity have 
admitted, yea, even contended for the eternity of matter : 
But, my friends, they know not whereof they affirm, or 
else they are Atheists in disguise. — For how is it possible 
for God to be the first cause of all things, while matter 
holds an existence coeval with himself ? This theory is 
opposed to the plain letter of revelation, which teaches us 
that the Deity *^ created all things ; and for his pleasure 
they are and were created " It was advanced and defend- 
ed by Spinoza, a Dutch atheistical philosopher, of the 
seventeenth century^ and has found its way into nearly al{ 
the systems of modern infidelity. 

I would now invite your attention to a few of the lead- 
ing and direct evidences of the existence of a divine^ om^ 
nipoient and infinitely inJeIlio;ent First Cause ; whom we 
call God, and who is held up to view as the only proper 
object of our highest veneration and praise ; the Author 
of all worlds and all beings. In doing this it is proper to 
premise, that whatever had a beginning, must have had 
an author : for nothing could be more repugnant to reason, 



14 DEFENCE OF 

than the supposition, that any thing could create itseli ; 
as this would involve the absurdity, that a thing acted to 
produce the most astonishing effect before it existed ! and 
I need not remind you that this is a gross contradiction 
in terms. If it can therefore be proved that there was a 
time when the earth did not exist, the fact itself will prove 
that it has been created by some power independent of it- 
self To this object then, your attention is invited. 

The doctrine which attempts to maintain the eternity of 
matter, must necessarily advocate the hypothesis that 
there has been an uninterrupted succession of beings like 
ourselves, without beginning ; and the same would be 
true with respect to every kind of plant and animal which 
can be found upon tli€ face of the globe. It w4ll not, it 
cannot be pretended, however, that this theory is support- 
ed by history, tradition, or philosophy ; for all these re- 
quire some original and well-attested tracts for their sup- 
port. These facts being unsupplied from any source, 
whatever, leaves the whole theory as a matter of mere un-^ 
supported conjectiure. If any evidence, therefore, which 
opposes this conjecture, caur be produced, the theory be- 
comes inadmissible, and must be rejected as a groundless 
chimera, alike unworthy the confidence of the rational, 
and the support of the candid. 

Every man now in existence, knows that he did not 
create, nor cause himself to be brought into being ; and 
therefore has the demonstrative evidence that he must 
have been, produced by some cause independent of him*- 
self The same must, of necessity, be true with respect 
to every man that ever existed upon the face of the globe. 
You may trace the pedigree of man as far back as the 
power of imagination can possibly carry you, and the 
same fact is equally plain : So thai li is utterly impossi- 
bJe to suppose a human being who had no beginning, or 
who w^as not produced by a cause independent of himself 
A different theory might be pleaded with some color of 
plausibility, if there were any human beings that were 
not subject to organic dissolution : But the present con- 
stitution of man forbids the hypothesis. Reason, there- 
fore, founded upon experience and observation, proves 
that there must have been a first man and first ivomany 



DIVINE IREVELATION. 15 

from whom the successive generations of the world must 
have had their origin. To say that they were the spon- 
taneous productions of nature, is no solution of the diffi- 
cuhy which awaits the adorer of nature ; for he is unable 
to point us to a single new being, or rather, species of ani- 
mals, which has not existed for ages before. So that as- 
sertions of the spontaneous production of animals or 
plants, are disingenuous, and unauthorized by reason, na- 
ture and revelation. 

To set this subject entirely at rest, and settle the con- 
troversy concerning the eternity of matter, or rather, the 
eternity of this globe, with all its furniture and beautiiul 
order, we may appeal to the science of geology, as atford- 
ing irrefragible evidence of a period when the earth which 
we inhabit was not formed, and when neither plant nor 
animal existed. 

The most careful investigation has afforded satisfactory 
evidence that the interior substance of the earth has been 
deposited at different periods, and at periods when no or- 
ganic substances were in being. Those primitive rocks 
^vhich constitute the internal structure of the globe, are 
formed into distinct strata, anxi deposited according to their 
specific gravity. The granite, which is allowed to be the 
lowest and heaviest cf all the strata that has ever beeft 
discovered ; and the sienite, which is the next in order and 
specific gravity ; alford evident marks of having been once 
in a soluble or liquid state ; since no other supposition 
will account for the order in which they are found, lying 
as they do in a horizontal position. These strata have 
been carefully examined by scientific observers ; yet they 
have not been found to contain any remains of plants or 
animals. This fact renders it sufficiently evident that 
neither plants nor animals existed at the periods of their 
formation. 

Passing on to the next stratum of rock, we find fossil 
remains of marine plants, and a few marine animals, in a 
state of petrifaction. This fact affords conclusive ev- 
idence that marine plants and animals existed before 
those which are found upon the land. In the next and 
following strata, we meet with various kinds of marine and 
land plants and animals^ and in great abundance : JNo rea- 



16 BEI^ENCE OF 

son can be offered why land productions, such as plants 
and animals, should not be found in the thwd stratum of 
primitive rock, if they existed at the time when this stra- 
tum was formed. The conclusion therefore is irresistible, 
that they were not created till after this stratum was formed. 

The science of geology, then, affords conclusive evi- 
dence, that there has been a time when neither plants nor 
animals had any existence ; hence it becomes undeniable^ 
that their creation was effected by some power that is in* 
finitely above the utmost stretch of human comprehension. 
For it must be obvious that no human power can perpetu- 
ate existence after it is produced ; and if so, it must be 
equally certain that no earthly power could ever originate 
existence itself: Hence we arrive at the undeniable con- 
clusion, that some Being, or Power, perfectly independent 
of all the vast creation, must have existed anterior to it^ 
and is its divine author. 

The hypothesis, that the primitive rocks were once in a 
soluble or liquid state, may be rendered plain and obvious 
by a simple and easy experiment. Take an equal propor- 
tion of each stratum, and reduce them to an impalpable 
powder ; place these in a glass tube or cylinder, with a 
quantity of water ; agitate them by shaking, till they are 
in a state of perfect confusion or chaos ; then place the 
vessel where it will be at rest, and in a short time the 
particles of each will settle according to their specific 
gravity, so as visibly to form the distinct strata, and in the 
pi'^cise order in which they are found in the bowels of the 
earth. 

After the introduction of these facts and arguments, it 
may perhaps be acknowledged by skeptics, that all things 
visible had a beginning ; and that they were produced by 
some ivise and powerful^ yet unknown cause. And will 
such men still deny the being of God ! About what are 
they contending ? Certainly not about /ac/s ; but about 
mere words and namps ! A quibble, at which the most fas- 
tidious skeptic must bhtsh in his sober and reflecting mo- 
ments. For a being infinitely wise, and powerful and 
good, is held up by revelation, as the Author and preserv- 
er of the universe. 

In speaking of the divine character, it is proper to re- 



Divi.VE hevslatio-N". m 

mark, that as the Author of «Z/ creation, he must have been 
uncreatedj and therefore, existing of necessity freni eterni- 
ty. He must eternaliy have possessed all the attributes 
which now characterize him ; since it would be as impos- 
sible for any being to produce his own attributes, as it 
would be to produce his own existence, it follows^ there- 
fore, that such a being must of necessity be perfectly in- 
dependent of all contingencies in the mode of his exist- 
ence ; since no cause anterior to himself could have exist- 
ed to determine what that mode of existence should be. — 
Again. — The Creator of ail things must possess all his 
divine attributes to an unlimited extent ; as no possible 
cause could have existed to prescribe any limits ; since 
this hypothesis would suppose a cause prior to the first ; 
which is a contradiction in terms. That God is omnipo- 
tent, is too clearly demonstrated hy the countless variety 
and magnitude of his works, to admit of denial or doubt : 
And it is equally certain, that all other attributes which he 
may possess, are likewise unbounded, since no anterior 
being or power existed to give them limits. The primary 
or essential attributes which w^e ascribe to the Supreme 
Being, are wisdom, power and goodness. These are all 
testified by the w^orks of creation and providence. His 
wisdom devised the perfect design of the vast creation, 
and provided for all possible contingencies which might 
transpire. His power insures the execution of all his de- 
signs, and upholds and sustains unnumbered worlds and 
beings : And his infinite goodness takes delight in promo- 
ting and perfecting the happiness of his creatures. Ail 
other perfections which are supposed to dwell in him, are 
rather different displays of the power, wisdom and good- 
ness of God, than original and primary attributes of the 
divine nature. Who can gaze upon the Solar System, or 
stretch his thoughts into the unbounded immensity of 
space, where millions of suns and systems are displayed, 
without feeling impressed with the deepest conviction of 
thetnagnificence of the wisdom and power of their divine 
Original ! Well may we give vent to the sentiments of pi- 
ous admiration, in the appropriate language of the Royal' 
Psalmist—^' The heavens declare the glory of God ; and 
the firmament showeth his handy work. Day unto day ut- 



18 DEFEXCE OF 

tereth Speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge; 
There is no speech, nor language, where their voice is not 
heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and 
their words to the end of the world." Ps. xix. 1-4. But 
we must leave this sublime field of unspeakable magnifi-- 
cence and beauty, to survey those works of the Creator 
which are within our more immediate reach. 

Who can contemplate the innumerable beiirgs of every 
form and of every grade, which people the globe ; with all 
their diversity of wants and powers, and their admirable ad- 
aptation to all the purposes oi activity and pleasure ; togeth- 
er with the ample stores which an universal providence 
hath supplied to satisfy the wants of every living thing ; 
and resist the conviction, that a- Being infinitely wise and 
good has brought them into existence ? Who can reflect up- 
on the exquisite skill which is displayed in the configura- 
tion of the various organs of the human system ; the per- 
fection of all its parts to answer the purposes for which 
they were designed, and especially the incomparable work- 
manship and mechanical powers of the eye, and not be led 
to confess a wisdom and a hand divine in their formation ? 
Indeed, they display such evident marks of the power^ 
wisdom and goodness of the Creator, that we are led to* 
conclude that the most criminal stupidity alone, can fail to' 
observe them with emotions of sincere pleasure and grat- 
itude. How is it possible for an intelligent being to doubt 
the existence of God, when he beholds himself surrounded 
by such an infinite variety as must astonish every behold- 
er, and which can scarcely fail to captivate the soul with 
admiration at the astonishing skill and contrivance which 
are every where displayed throughout the countless whole ? 
In a word ; the varying seasons of the year, loaded and 
crowned with the profusion of the divine bounty, join in 
sweet accordance with the voice of inspiration, in announ- 
cing that '^ God left not himself without witness, in that he 
did good, and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful sea- 
sons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." 

What has been offered is deemed sufficient to show that 
the proofs afforded by physical science ; and the meta- 
physical and philosophical evidences which are drawn 
from the open volume of nature and providence, render a 



i 



BIVlf^E REVELATION. 19 

belief in the existence of the Supreme Being, a most easy, 
rational and unavoidable exercise of the understanding : 
And we can scarcely conceive it possible for any man to 
support a fair claim to intelligence, who, amidst all the ev- 
idences of design which are every where displayed in the 
kingdom of nature, can deny the glorious being and attri- 
butes of the Maker and Preserver of all systems, worlds 
and' beings. 

If then, the existence and attributes of God be admitted, 
and I can discover no reason for their denial, since the 
whole volume of nature is crowded with evidences of their 
certainty ; there can be no impossibility in the supposition 
of his making a revelation of his character, truth and de- 
signs to man ; for it is a proposition self-evident to every 
human being, that he possesses moral intelligence, and is 
capable of constant improvements and the noblest attain- 
ments in the science of moral virtue and happiness. What 
possible reason, then, can be urged that man should not 
be furnished with that kind of instruction which is so per- 
fectly suited to the elevation of his morfil nature ? No rea- 
son can be assigned why he should not be the subject of 
such a revelation, except it can be shown that he is not in 
a condition to need its instruction. But this cannot be 
shown ; nor shall we allow the enemies of revelation to 
take it for granted, since it is totally inadmissible^ and con- 
irary to the testimony of U7iiversal experience. Matter of 
fact has long since proved that mankind are short-sighted 
and erring mortals — that they often mistake the path of 
happiness, fall into acts of indiscretion, commit atrocious 
wickedness, destroy their own peace and involve the hap- 
piness of those around them. The more ample and pure, 
therefore, the moral instruction which man receives, the 
less liable will he be to become a prey to the numerous 
evils and miseries w^hidi are inseparable from a life of de- 
pravity and wickedness : And the more constant, unre- 
mitting and sincere, his attention becomes to the pure and 
holy rules which it prescribes, the more refined and ele- 
vated will be his enjoyment. I can scarcely conceive it 
necessary to say to you, my hearers, that what we call a 
revelation from God, contains the purest system of moral- 
ity which has ever been presented for the observance of 



£0 t)EFEN'cE or 

man. Indeed, this fact has been acknowledged by th6 
ablest writers who have ever espoused the cause ofinfi- 
delitj. Admitting, therefore, that the Being who created 
man possesses the attributes of infinite wisdom and love^ 
reason would inevitably lead us to expect from him a rev- 
elation of his will and his truth. 

Having, as we believe, adduced sufficient evidence to 
establish in the rational and reflecting mind the belief of a 
supreme and intelligent First Causey the unerring Ruler 
of the whole universe ; and shown the consistency of the 
hypothesis that he has revealed his mind and will to man, 
we shall now devote a few reflections upon the nature of 
that service which he requires af his intelligent offspring. 

The perfections of the divine nature must necessarily 
impress us with the conviction that he possesses all the 
resources of infinite enjoyment within himself, and there- 
fore could never require any service from the creature 
man to promote his own happiness, that being already in- 
iinii'ely full and perfect. The conclusion is then unavoid- 
able, that he requires no service of his creatures, except 
that which would conduce to their own, and the happiness 
of beings like themselves. That man was formed for ac- 
tivity, is too evident from his constitution, both of body and 
mind, to require a single argument for its support. And 
is any conclusion more con^^istent with the dictates of rea- 
son, than that a being of perfect goodness should direct 
these powers to be employed in such a manner as to pro- 
mote the security of his present enjoyment and refine his 
soul for higher attainments of moral perfection and happi- 
ness ? No man can be found in human society, who does 
not feel and know that he possesses the gift of moral intel- 
ligence ; and if it were consistent for the Author of na- 
ture to furnish him with such powers, what reason can be 
assigned why the Deity should not impose on him such 
obligations as are correspondent to the nature and extent 
of those distinguishing powers which he has bestowed? 
Indeed, the possession of these powers were vain and use- 
less, if w^isdom had not assigned them some suitable exer- 
cise, or directed their employment to some useful end. 

The inquiry may now, and will doubtless be urged ; 
what are the services which God requires of his intelli- 



DIVINE REVELATION. 2i 

gent offspring ? We answer : they are just such services 
as might rationally be expected would be demanded by a 
being of infinite wisdom and goodness. They require us 
to cultivate an acquaintance with the character of God, 
and to make him the object of supreme love and adora- 
tion, as the inexhaustible source of all perfection and hap- 
piness : To love him with ail the heart, mind and strength, 
as the surest means of securing that constant obedience, 
which would invariably promote our own, and the highest 
enjoyment of the moral creation of God. In a word ; the 
sum of all his moral requirements is to imitate the dis- 
plays of his justice, his wisdom and his benevolence. To 
'Move one another with pure hearts, fervently ; out of a 
good conscience, and of faith unfeigned." To cultivate 
'peace and friendship with all mankind ; '^ to love our ene- 
mies, to do good to them that hate us, to bless them that 
curse us, and pray for them that despitefully use and per- 
secute us." This would render us the practical imitators 
of our Father in heaven ; an unspeakable blessing to the 
world ; qualify us for the approbation of God, and the 
highest enjoyments of which our natures are susceptible. 
Surely then, the service which God requires is of the 
most ennobling kind, and the most honorable, as well as 
the most advantageous employment of our powers. And 
instead of questioning the authority of these obligations, 
we ought rather to rejoice and thank God that he has fur* 
nished us with powers for their performance. Is it now 
demanded, " What is the Almighty that we should serve 
him ?" We answer ; He is the glorious Sovereign of hea- 
ven and earth ; on whom all creatures depend, and at the 
bar of whose impartial justice we must all render an ac- 
count for the improvement of our time, our talents, and all 
the blessings and privileges which his wisdom and bounty 
bestow. Hence the necessity of diligence and constant 
perseverance in all the duties and services which he re- 
quires at our hands. 

I shall now pass to a few remarks upon the propriety, 
reasonableness, duty and necessity of prayer. 

Prayer is the devout aspiration of the soul, the oiferino- 
up of our desires to the God and Father of the spirits of 
all flesh. To this religious exercise, objections of vari- 
3# 



^2 DEFEx\CE 01? 

ous kinds have been offered. It has been pronounced in« 
consistent with the sentiments which we ought to enter- 
tain of the infinite wisdom and goodness of the Creator : 
For we are told that Jehovah knows ail our wants, and 
will, if consistent with what he knows to be for his glory 
and our good, bestow all needed blessings, v/ithout being 
importuned by weak and erring man. As plausible as this 
objection may appear, it is both unsound and deceptive : 
Fur as parents you are aware of most of the wants and 
necessities of y.oiir children, before they are expressed, or 
even known to these children ; and would you consider it 
improper, or incompatible v/ith that filial and dignified re- 
spect which they ought to pay to you, to enumerate their 
wants, and ask the display of your kindness in supplying 
those wants ? So far from this, you would consider it rath- 
er a mark of disrespect if they neglected to ask the be- 
stowment of your favor. 

Again. — Prayer is an acknowledgment of our depend- 
ence on God, for all the blessings and mercies which our 
condition requires. And is it not one of the strongest ex- 
pressions of our sense of dependence to bow before the 
throne of the universe, in humble invocation for the bless- 
ings which he alone can bestow ? That it is eminently 
calculated to promote and keep alive the virtues of humil- 
ity and meekness, is evident from the very nature of the 
exercise which the duty implies. 

It is also proper to remark, that prayer is necessary to 
excite and maintain the duties of gratitude and devotion. 
For it is a fact, attested by common observation and com- 
mon experience, that what we receive without asking for, 
seldom commands a grateful return, or a thankful tribute 
of the heart. And so far as the duty of devotion to God is 
concerned, prayer is absolutely essential to its existence ; 
for whoever neglects the wholesome duty of prayer, will 
b^e sure to cast off'most of the salutary restraints of relig- 
ious fear. 

The duty of prayer is equally necessary in keeping alive 
a sense of the divine presence : And where is the man 
whose thoughts and moral feelings v*'ould not be chastened 
and his life amended, by a sober conviction that God is 
present with him, and is familiar with all the secrets of his 
soul and all the purposes of his heart .^ 



DIVINE REVELATION. 23 

/ 

It is the means which God has appointed for the de- 
pressed and afflicted mind to unburden itself and cast off 
its gloomy thoughts and cares, and catch a glimpse of 
heavenly glory and peace. It is one of the highest privi- 
leges which we can enjoy in this vale of tears, to draw 
nigh to God in prayer and thanksgiving, and hold com- 
munion with our Maker. Then is the world, with all its 
busy cares, dismissed, while God and heavenly things 
gently absorb the powers of reflection, and kindle up un- 
speakable raptures in the conscious soul. 

No privilege ought more highly to be prized than that 
of bending with reverence before the throne of mercy and 
love, in devout acknowledgment of our dependence upon 
God, and in the spirit of unaffected humility to implore his 
grace in the forgiveness of our sins, and to seek the salu- 
tary instructions of his wisdom to direct us m the faithful 
discharge of every duty. Here, at the footstool of heaven, 
the afflicted heart may pour forth its strong desires, pre- 
sent its needy condition, and commit all its interests to 
him who delights to communicate his favours, and extend 
his gracious protection and relief to the suiTering and the 
oppressed. Nor is this duty incompatible with the first 
dictates of the law of nature : For it cannot be denied 
that the burden of affliction gives birth to those ardent de- 
sires of the soul, and acts as an impelling force in moving 
us to seek the assistance of a superior agency, and prompts 
us to lean upon a power which is independent of ourselves. 

Prayer is a duty every where enjoined by the authori- 
tative language of holy inspiration, and sanctioned by the 
luminous examples of patriarchs and prophets, from time 
immemorial ; by the precept and worthy example of the 
Son of God, and by the examples and commands of all his 
apostles, to whom the unerring instructions of the spirit of 
divine inspiration were given : So that reason, nature and 
revelation, all harmonize to impress this duty upon the 
mind of man. 

It is true that the Deity cannot be benefitted, affected, 
nor changed by the prayers of his creatures ; but it is 
man, himself, that is benefitted, affected and changed. It is 
a method appointed by infinite wisdom to relieve the trou- 
bled mind of its sorrows and its woes ; to tranquilize the 



24 BEFENCE OF, StC. 

feelings of the heart, and to strengthen and renew the 
confidence of the soul in the God of the whole earth. 

Finally, Prayer is evidently a duty, which, according to 
the scriptures, has been enjoined by the Creator and Pre- 
server of the world. This fact being admitted, it follows 
of necessity that it is the subject of reward, and is there- 
fore connected with blessings which will not, and cannot 
in equity, be received and enjoyed without a compliance 
with the command. So that he who ^' casts off fear and 
restrains prayer," robs himself of Heaven's blessing ; 
withholds the honor which is due to God ; incurs the dis- 
approbation of the Sovereign of all worlds, and brings 
condemnation and misery to himself. Let these consid- 
erations sink deep into our hearts ; and when we retire 
from this public assembly to our respective habitations, 
let the importance of those services which God requires, 
impress us with gratitude, solemnity and joy ; and lead us 
to seek, in secret retirement of the heart, a peaceful and 
prayerful intercourse with our Maker ; that we may ever 
bear the seal of his divine approbation, and enjoy the 
sweet and cheering '' promise of the life that now is, and 
of that which is to come." 

In the course of Lectures which has been commenced 
this evening, ii is my intention, by divine permission, to 
lay before you, a brief, but plain and systematical defence 
of divine revelation. This contains the only charter of all 
our choicest hopes, and is the only true and infallible guide 
to immortality and eternal life. 



LECTURE II. 



Isaiah xl. 5. 
** The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all fiesh shall see it 
together." 

In my {ormer Lecture, I laboured, (and I trust not with- 
out some degree of success,) to prove, from the evidences 
of nature and the demonstrations of physical science, the 
being" and attributes of God ; and to deduce from the ev- 
idences of the divine existence and government of God, 
the nature of that service v/hich must be acceptable to 
him as a guardian friend and Parent. 

We endeavoured to show by the most plain and undeni- 
able facts which are brought to light by the science of ge- 
olgy, that there must have been a time when the globe 
which we inhabit did not exist as a solid body, but was in 
a confused, soluble and chaotic state. — That the particles 
which constitute the interna] structure of the earth were 
deposited in perfect order, according to their specific grav- 
ity. — That in the lower strata of the primitive rocks of 
which the earth is composed, no fossil remains are to be 
found, which demonstrates, that at the time those sub- 
stances were deposited, there existed neither plants nor 
animals ; otherwise some remains of them would have 
been there deposited, as well as in the otber strata which 
lie nearer the surface, where such remains are found in a 
state of petrifaction, in all their profusion of variety. 

We were led by these facts to the unavoidable conclu- 
sion, that there was a time when the earth did not exist, 
and when neither the vegetable nor animal kingdoms were 
in being : And if there was a period when these did not 
exist, they must have been produced by some power which 
was independent of them : For it would be an affront to 
common sense to say that they produced themselves, as 
this would be nothing less than to affirm that they acted 



S6 DEFENCE OF 

and produced the most astonishing effects before they ex- 
isted ! or in other words, that nonentity produced the re- 
ality of all things ! 

In that Lecture, an appeal was made to the perfect or- 
der and harmony, which every where prevail throughout 
the physical universe, as affording demonstrative evidence 
that the cause by which they were produced must of ne- 
cessity be possessed of perfect wisdom and inconceivable 
power. 

It was shown that design was too apparent through the 
infinite variety of nature, to leave a rational doubt upon 
the intelligent mind, that they were the production of the 
combined energies of infinite intelligence and omnipo- 
tence : While the capacities of the whole animal creation, 
for enjoyment, suited to their various natures ; with the 
ample provision which is made for their respective wants 
and desires, were called in to support the conclusion that 
the Being who created and governs the countless whole, 
must be perfect in wisdom, almighty in power, and unlim- : 
ited, or unconfined in goodness. 

Having arrived at this legitimate conclusion, by the aid 
of sensible objects, and established the fact of the divine 
existence by the undeniable evidences of nature ; we brief- 
ly considered the kind of service which such a Being 
might be reasonably supposed to require of those on whom 
he had bestowed the gift of reason, and fixed the moral 
image of his own nature, which could be none other than 
that of imitating his goodness by efforts to promote the 
true interest and happiness of our species, whose condi- 
tion is evidently such as to admit of continual improve- 
ment. We also ofiered some plain and pointed arguments, 
showing the fitness, the duty, the reasonableness, neces- J 
sity and moral influence of prayer. 

With this brief notice of our introductory Lecture, we 
shall proceed to the object proposed ; namely, to offer a 
regular course of Lectures in defence of divine revelation. 

It would be a vain and useless labor to defend revela- 
tion, unless it could be made to appear that mankind need- 
ed such a revelation. The object therefore of our present 
labours will be to establish the fact that the condition of 
the world was such as to require a revelation from God 



DIVIITE REVELATION. 27 

for the improvement and happiness, the moral virtue and 
usefulness of its inhabitants. To accomplish this object, 
we shall plainly and faithfully contrast the situation of man^ 
while left to the sole guidance of nature, reason and phi- 
losophy, with his condition and improvements under the 
light of revelation : This will afford us a fair opportunity 
of judging whether a revelation was, or was not necessary 
to enlarge the sphere of his usefulness, and to advance the 
knowledge, refinement and happiness of human society. 

In doing this, we will not be so ungenerous as to select 
the most barbarous and ignorant nations which the history 
of the heathen world presents, but we will select the most 
polished and enlightened nations, where we find most to 
admire and approve : Where nature has shed her kindest 
gifts, and where philosophy has exerted her powers and 
diffused her happiest influence ; and if these will not bear 
a comparison with those nations who have been favored 
with the light of revelation, the necessity of such a reve- 
lation will be too clearly established to admit of a fair and 
reasonable doubt. 

It would be impossible to determine with any degree of 
certainty, what discoveries human reason would be capa- 
ble of making, unless we survey its acquisitions and dis- 
coveries, independent of the lights and improvements 
which revelation has furnished. We can only arrive at an 
accurate investigation of its powers, by examining what it 
has brought to light, when it stood unaided and alone. 

It cannot be denied, that in the days of So abates ^ Plato j 
and CicerOj science unveiled her splendors, and exerted 
her powers for the enlightening and improvement of man- 
kind : — Nor can it be denied that philosophy was then in 
the very zenith of her glory, or that reason had attained 
the meridian of her strength. — But we demand, (and the 
demand is made with confidence,) whether reason^ science 
and philosophy^ in their combined efforts, produced any 
system so honorable to the Supreme Being ; so congenial 
to the wants and happiness of man ; so fruitful in the glo-^ 
ries of moral excellence, or so refined in the hopes and 
virtues to w^hich it gave birth, as that system of truth which 
revelation has unfolded to the view of the world ? The 
most hardened and unblushing skepticism dare not answer 



DEFENCE OF 



this question in the afiirmative. — For skeptics know that 
such an assertion would he confronted by the most stub- 
born facts. 

The splendid elucidations of the divine benignity ; the 
unspeakable consolations of mercy and grace ; the endless 
felicities of eternal life, and the indescribable glories of 
immortality, were neither recognised by the philosophy 
of Socrates and Plato, nor embraced by the flowing pe- 
riods which have thrown so much lustre around (he charac- 
ter of the Roman Orator. The depth of scientilic researcii, 
which was the boast of Greece ; the polite literature which 
distinguished the Athenians ; and the senatorial wisdom 
which illuminated the halls of imperial Rome, fail equally 
short of elevating the mind to the sublime heights to which 
it is exalted by the powerful and glorious light of revelation. 

The faithful records of history present us with a gloomy 
picture of the moral condition of man, when left solely to 
the guidance of nature and reason. Although surround- 
ed with the beauty and luxuriance of nature ; though en- 
chanted with the vivifying influence of spring ; surround- 
ed with the glories of summer ; loaded with the plenteous 
fruits of autumn, and taught by experience to lay by a 
store of the blessings of Providence to supply his wants 
in the dreary period of winter ; man, with all his advan- 
tages and blessings, formed but vagpe and imperfect con- 
jectures of the source whence these blessings flov/ed. 

He saw that the seasons had their appointed periodi 
and was therefore led to conclude that an overruling in- 
telligence presided over the destinies of nature. Plence 
an atheist was viewed as the most astonishing phenome- 
non, and as a monster among men. Still, having no clear 
conceptions of any existence distinct from matter, he was 
led to suppose that the Author of the Universe might be 
visible. And what object could so naturally and forcibly 
attract his attention, as the luminous king of day ; from 
whose influence so many blessings and comforts were 
enjoyed ? If any visible object was worthy of divine ado- 
ration, the Persians might well be excused for rearing an 
altar to the Sun, and bowi ig down with devout adoration 
to this most glorious of all visible objects. Next to the 
SuTiy the Mooriy which dispelled the gloom of night, and 



1 



\ 



DIVINE REVELATION. ^ 

marked the distinct periods into which the year was di- 
vided, was thought worthy to share in the divine honors 
which were almost universally paid to the ruler of day. 

It is sufficiently apparent from history, that the sun and 
moon were worshipped by the Phoenicians, Canaanites, 
Chaldeans, Moabites, and in fatit by all the eastern na- 
tions, from the earliest periods to which their history can 
be traced. Baal (the sun) and Astaroth (the moon) called 
in scripture the Queen of Heaven, were objects of uni- 
versal adoration throughout the heathen world. The 
idol Moloch, so often mentioned iu scripture, signi- 
fies the same as Baal, a king, or ruler, and is therefore 
supposed to be the sun. Diana (or the moon) the god- 
dess of hunting and the goddess of months, was called in 
scripture, as we have before remarked, '^ the queen of 
heaven.'' After the sun and moon, the smaller lumina- 
ries, which bestud the boimdless concave, were consider- 
ed of the same nature with the sun and moon, and there- 
fore entitled to share with them the honors of worships 
though not to the same extent, on account of the inferior- 
ity of their apparent glory. 

During the Chaldean, Medo-Persian, Grecian and Ro- 
man monarchies, the sun, the moon, the planets and the 
fixed stai^ were all adored as Gods : And while the ador- 
ing Persian reared his altar to the Sun, and the Greek 
bowed with reverence at the shrine of Saturn, the delud- 
ed worshipper of the Queen of Heaven, rent the air with 
the acclamation, ^' Great is Diana of the Ejyliesians .'" 
Nature was also worshipped under the name of this god- 
dess, as the mother of all things, which will account for 
the peculiar appearance of her statues, covered from the 
shoulders to the. lower extremities of the waist, with the 
emblems of nutriment, for the support of her children, 
which were represented upon all the body and limbs be- 
low, by the heads of various animals. 

The objects which wei*e worshipped by the ancient hea- 
then, are too numerous for a minute detail : — In Egypt, 
besides the most grotesque figures of animals ; or sym- 
bolical figures, compounded of man, and some animal ; 
as the head of a dog on the body of a man ; the head of 
a cat on the body of a woman j they worshipped oxen, 
4 



30 DEFENCE OP 

crocodiles, serpents, sparrow-hawks, ravens, insects, and 
even the herbs of their gardens : — Strange objects^ in- 
deed, to receive divine honors ! 

The heathen had idols of all sorts to worship ; idols of 
gold, silver, brass, stone, wood, potters' earth, stars, spir- 
its, men, animals, rivers, plants, trees, fountains, and even 
rough stones ! The Arabians, before the days of Maho^ 
met, paid divine honors to a certain black stone, which at 
this day is fastened in the wall at the temple of Meccaj 
and is devoutly kissed by Mahometans. They adored, in 
addition to this stone, spears, lances, great beams of tim- 
ber, fire, animals, the sun, moon, stars, earth, flowers, 
plants, trees and fountains ! — And we may add ; the an* 
cient Gauls and Germans, had scarce any other gods. 

These idolators attributed to many of their gods and 
goddesses, the most ungovernable passions, and in their 
devotions they practised the most abominable obscenity 
and lewdness. This fact can easily be accounted for, if 
we reflect for a moment upon the probable causes which 
gave birth to their idolatry. This undoubted!}^ origina- 
ted in the darkness of their minds, ignorance, vanity^ 
pride, love of pleasure, fondness for sensible objects, lib- 
ertinism, and in strong animal passions ; the excessive af-* 
fection of lovers ; the mistaken tenderness of a father for 
his child ; the husband for the wife, and the wife for the 
husband ; great resf»ect of subjects for their Prince, and 
of children for their parents ; gratitude to the memory of 
benefactors ; the splendid qualities of statesmen, and that 
admiration which the exploits of heroes and conquerors 
has almost universally excited ; together with the indeli- 
ble impression which has through all ages been fixed up- 
on the human mind, of the existence of a Divine and Su^ 
perior Cause : These have induced man to pay supersti- 
tious respect, worship and adoration, to what he loved, 
admired, esteemed, feared or honored to great excess. 

The thought suggested itself to the minds of the an- 
cients, that a resemblance of the gods which they wor- 
shipped, was desirable, to heighten the fervor of their de- 
votions ; hence images were raised and multiplied to an 
astonishing extent. But the infatuation of man at length 
became so great, that every object around him was dei- 



DIVINE REVELATION. 



31 



Red. A conqueror, who had desolated kingdoms, deluged 
nations in blood, caused rivers of tears to flow, and rent 
the hearts of widows and orphans with anguish which de- 
fies the power of language to describe, received divine 
honors from those who were deluded by his exploits, 
and dazzled with the splendor of his military achieve- 
ments. A successful agriculturalist was adored, as pre- 
siding over the productions of the earth : — A successful 
astronomer at Babylon was worshipped as the king of 
heaven : — A man who announced the return of periodical 
winds, was supposed to have charge of the storms, and 
therefore worshipped under the name of ^olus : Another, 
who braved the fury of the winds and waves, and conduct- 
ed his frail bark across the ocean in safety, was supposed 
to be a god, and a constellation in the heavens still bears 
the name of the hero and his ship: While another, by 
discovering the medicinal virtues of plants, was deified 
as the god of medicine, and worshipped under the name 
of Esculapius. We may add to all these, that tyrants af- 
ter tyrants were deified by their successors, till the supposed 
infernal regions were crowded with cruel, merciless and 
revengeful gods ! 

Those gods which were worshipped in some countries 
as supreme, held only a subordinate place in others ; so 
that their deluded worshippers were continually disagree- 
ing, as to which of them the honor of supreme worship 
belonged. They were more generally agreed, however, 
as to the character and attributes of their gods, and that, 
what they termed divine honors, belonged to each and ev- 
ery one : and this fact will account for the astonishing 
number of about thirhj thousand^ which w^ere enrolled in 
the catalogue at Rome, and to whom divine honors were 
authorised to be paid by the Roman laws. 

Of all the gods which were worshipped by the heathen, 
Jupiter, who is called the son of Saturn, and was said to 
have stripped his father of the kingdom of Crete, and who 
is supposed to have lived within three hundred years of 
the time of Moses, was almost universally adored as the 
supreme god and as having the government of heaven and 
earth. He is represented by the heathen mythology as 
giving to his brother Neptune the government of the sea;, 



52 DEFENCE OF 

and to Pluto, the government of hell. The character 
which history ascribes to him is that of one of the most ad- 
ulterous, and otherwise unclean wretches that ever breath« 
ed. — From the time of Alexander the Great, he was held 
in the highest veneration, both by the Greeks and Latins. 
His, with the chara<Jter of many other of the heathen godsy 
will account for the obscene and lascivious rites of heathen 
worship, which have branded with the deepest, but merit- 
ed infamy, the idolatry of the ancients. 

I have now given? you a brief summary of the objects 
which were worshipped by those nations who were left to 
the sole direction of nature, reason and philosophy : And 
I ask you to compare them with the glorious object of ad- 
oration which revelation unfolds to the mental view of man. 
Compare them with that God who has revealed himself as 
the infinite fountain of power and intelligence ; the Creator 
and governor of all worlds, unchangeable in all the designs 
of his infinite wisdom and goodness ; and then decide for 
yourselves, which is the most rational and ennobling, the 
service of those detestable characters, or the service and 
worship of this only living and true God. 

The worship which the ancients paid to Jupiter, Venus 
and Bachus, was too obscene and abominable to be descri- 
bed. — Lasciviousness, debauchery and drunkenness were 
sanctioned, encouraged, applauded and practised, under 
the venerable name of religion. The more infamous and 
beastly these rites were, the more acceptable they were 
supposed to be to the gods they worshipped. But mo- 
desty compels us to draw a veil over the scenes of such de- 
pravity and wickedness. Yet, whoever has read the satires 
of Juvenalj or perused the history of those times, will in- 
stantly acknowledge the faithfulness of the picture of their 
enormities, a? delineated by St. Paul, in his epistle to the 
Romans, chap. i. ver. 21 —32. In a word, their deeds were 
so shocking and detestable, that the early christians were 
forbidden to have them even named in their assemblies. 

Besides the disgusting and licentious rites to which we 
have alluded, the most shocking inhumanity and barbar- 
ity was practised in their worship. It was a common 
custom among the Carthagenians to sacrifice children to 
Saturn, and thus to outrage every feeling of humanity. 



'"^9 



DIVINE «IEVELATI0N. 33 

At one time, when Agathocles was about to besiege Car- 
thage, (t(?o /iimdrerf children of the first families were of- 
fered in sacrifice : and on each returning period for the 
annual sacrifice, it was customary for those who had no 
children to purchase them of the poor, for this horrid rite ! 
innocent children were devoted to the most awful death 
by their parents, that of being burnt alive in sacrifice, to 
appease the wrath, or secure the favour of their abomina- 
ble gods ! 

In the life of Themlstocles, as related by Plutarch, we 
have a striking exemplification of their horrid barbarity. 
When Themistocles was about to sacrifice upon the Ad- 
miral galley, at Athens, three beautiful captives were 
brought to him, richly attired with gold vests, and 
were said to be the children of the sister of Xerxes. As 
soon as Euphraniides^ who was supposed to be a prophet, 
and who presided at the ceremony, saw them, he demand- 
ed them as an additional sacrifice. The Athenian Admi- 
ral, though shocked with the inhumanity of the thought, 
and extremely reluctant to comply with this demand, was, 
however, forced to submit, by the urgent clamors of the 
populace ; and these unfortunate youths were accordingly 
immolated. 

These few examples are only mentioned as a specimen 
of the horrid barbarity and cruelty, which almost every 
where prevailed in heathen countries, and which formed 
one of the most prominent features in the character of 
their worship I have forborne to mention the thousands 
that have been sacrificed by the Druids, or the millions 
that have perished in every heathen country by the same 
superstitions, and only selected a few of the most poHshed 
and enlightened of the heathen countries where these hor- 
rid atrocities have been performed. These appalling scenes 
continued to be acted, over and over, until the light of 
revelation dispelled the gloom of their ignorance. But 
we must pursue their history. 

In the character of their civil institutions, there was lit- 
tle more to admire than in their religious. Vice was al- 
most universally tolerated, and the principles of humanity 
outraged, in every variety of form.— Implacable hatred 
was cherished as a virtue, and an unforgiving spirit held 
4^ 



S4 DEFENCE OP 

the rank of bold and manly fortitude. Suicide was eulo- 
gized by poets and historians as a mark of great mental 
strength, and the certain evidence of a heroic mind. One 
of the wisest lawgivers of which the heathen world could 
boast, ordained that all infants should be exposed to perish, 
which were in any respect defective or maimed ; or who, 
from any apparent constitutional weakness, did not hold 
out the prospect of being serviceable to the state. Thus 
infanticide was not only tolerated, but expressly enjoined 
by the institutions of Lycurgus, the Spartan legislator,, 
and rigidly observed by that people for ages. The natural 
and unavoidable result of such unfeeling institutions, was 
a most pernicious system of morals. Depravity was the 
legitimate fruit of such a barbarous system of government. 
There was, indeed, a few, who inculcated different senti- 
ments, and sometimes pleaded the cause of humanity with 
much eloquence and pathos : But their example was so 
pernicious, that their better code of precepts had very lit- 
tle influence upon the manners of their countrymen. — 
And in reading the history of th^ heathen world, il is ex- 
tremely difficult to determine what they called vice, unless 
it was the weakness of cowardice. 

The Emperors of Rome were stained w^ith every spe- 
cies of impurity and wickedness ; if we but trace them to 
the retirements of the palace, where ''they practiced all 
manner of uncleanness with greediness." 

Their systems of philosophy were in some respects re- 
iined, but they were not adapted to the mental degradation 
of the great mass of the common people, and therefore fail- 
ed to produce any salutary effect upon their morals. The 
multitude were left to grope in darkness, because they 
could not comprehend the refinements of the philosophy 
of that age, and therefore were abused with the grossest 
absurdities as a substitute for religion The mysteries of 
heathen worship were withheld from the great mass of the 
people, while the splendid sacrifices which were required 
for their initiation, were beyond their ^ bility to procure. 
Hence they were left in ignorance and darkness. 

But suppose they were instructed in all the mysteries 
and in all the wisdom which heathen philosophy could un- 
fold j— would it inspire them with the conviction of the 



DIVINE REVELATION. 35 

unity of God ? — would it excite the confident hope of a 
future happy existence ? — Heathen philosophy never did 
produce this effect ; and judging from the influence which 
it has exerted in past ages, we can form no conception that 
it possesses any power to illuminate the dark and dreary 
passage of the grave, or brighten the prospect of man be-- 
yond the narrow limits of the tomb. 



JLECTITRE III. 



Isaiah xl. 5. 

" The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it 
together.** 

In my preceding Lecture, I laid before you a brief, but 
faithful epitome of heathen idolatry, comprehending the 
variety and character of the objects to which they paid re- 
ligious honors ; together with the barbarity and cruelty of 
their sacrificial offerings, the lascivious and brutal con- 
duct of the worshippers, and the universal prevalence and 
toleration of the most detestable vices — vices which could 
not but degrade the human mind, and paralize all the no- 
blest energies of reason and virtue, to reform the lives and 
morals of human society ! And when we reflect that all 
these cruelties and abominations were directly counten- 
anced and encouraged by the civil institutions of heathen 
countries ; yea, more — when we reflect that these horrid 
crimes were lauded as the most acceptable offerings oP 
religion, and the certain means of appeasing the wrath 
and procuring the favor of the object adored ; we ask^ 
with confidence, was not the moral condition of human 
beings such as to need the light of revelation to instruct, 
improve, and civilize the society of man ? 

If we were to survey other countries, in later ages, and 
even down to our own times, we should find little less to 
excite our pity and astonishment. A great part of the 
eastern world is still enveloped in the darkness of Mahom- 
etan imposture, or groan under the weight of pagan idol- 
atry. The extensive regions of Hindostan, containing 
about 100.000,000 of inhabitants, are principally involved 
in this deplorable darkness and ignorance, even to the 
present hour. The worshippers of the ponderous idol of 
the eastern world, are annually crushed to death beneath 
his merciless car, as the willing victims of superstition and 



38 DEFENCE OP 

the most deplorable ignorance ; while the plains of Hin- 
dostan are lighted up by the unsparing flames of the fune- 
ral pile, and thousands of widows are sacrificed to the 
most inhuman superstition. 

I might notice a fearful catalogue of other cruelties, 
which are still practiced in heathen countries ; but the 
heart sickens at the horrid picture, and turns with painful 
sensibihty from the scenes of such barbarous superstition, 
and the eye of pity contributes the tear of regret to the 
weakness and misery of man, while destitute of revela- 
tion's clear and friendly light to illuminate the pathway of 
his understanding. I shall forbear to mention the human 
sacrifices which were formerly offered by the aborigines 
of America, as I have forborne to notice the gross idolatry 
of other barbarous nations ; and briefly consider the char- 
acter of modern heathenism, under the plausible names of 
'philosophy and science. 

These acknowledge no God, but nature, no eternal 
principal, but matter, and no obligation but such as would 
contribute to the gratification of passion, or subserve their 
temporal interest. But of such philosophers, it may well 
be said, ^^ they worship they know not what :" And doubt- 
less they are not aware that they are offering their hom- 
age to inert and iaconscious matter ; to the sun, the moon 
and the stars ; to rocks and mountains, hills and valleys, 
rivers and plains, oceans and continents ; to animals and 
plants of every description ; and even to the grossest pas- 
sions that ever rankled in the human heart ! For these, it 
cannot be denied, are parts, and the principal parts of ria- 
ture with which we are acquainted. If there was, there- 
fore, any inconsistency in the worship of those ancient 
pagans, of whom we have already spoken, the same in- 
consistency attaches to the character and views of modern 
skepticism. No wonder, then, that a promiscuous inter- 
course should be justified and pleaded, as fancy might sug-^ 
gest or inclination dictate ! 

Are these thy boasted triumphs, O reason ? Are these 
thy proud trophies of renown, O philosophy ! Is this the 
beastly eminence on which ye would place us ? Yes -this 
is the altar on which we are invited to sacrifice the noble 
institutions which have emanated from the light of revela- 



Divine revelation. SB 

tion, and diffused their benign influence through all the 
moral codes of the civilized world ! 

It is true that Zoroaster, Socrates, Plato, Confucius^ 
Seneca and Oicero, entertained more rational and consis- 
tent views of the great First Cause of all things, and of 
the moral and religious obligations of mankind : But the 
histories of their times prove to us that all the refinements 
of their philosophy failed to produce the most desirable 
effects upon their countrymen, and left them still in dark^ 
ness, and under the shackles of a most despotic and cruel 
superstition. So that with all the lights and advantages 
of nature, reason and philosophy, the world groaned under 
the oppressive weight of ignorance and crime. 

I have now briefly delineated the condition of man, 
without the friendly aid of revelation ; and our hearts have 
recoiled and sickened at the imperfect picture of human 
enormities which prevailed throughout the most enlighten- 
ed, refined and philosophical nations of the earth, which 
has been laid before you j notwithstanding we have been 
compelled by considerations of modesty, to draw a veil 
over the darkest shades of their abominations. What has 
been brought to the light, however, is sufficient for all the 
purposes of a clear and successful contrast. We shall 
now proceed to compare this deplorable state of society 
with what we find to be the condition of man under the 
influence and direction of revealed religion. 

It is perfectly apparent from history, that in a short 
time after the deluge, idolatry became the prevailing re- 
ligion of the whole post-deiuvian world : That it was al- 
most universally practised until the days of Abraham, to 
whom most important truths were communicated, and by 
him transmitted to his posterity ; truths, embracing the 
character and designs of God, and opening and illusta- 
ting the moral duties of man to his Creator. Of this, the 
Patriarch appears to have been so fully convinced, that 
he totally forsook the idolatry of his Chaldean country- 
men, and betook himself entirely to the worship of one 
God, as the Creator and Governor of heaven and earth. 

History informs us that his sons observed the maxims 
of truth which he had received, and were, themselves, 
persuaded of the unity and universal government of God ^ 



40 DEFENCE or 

and that they practised a purer and more simple worship 
than their heathen neighbors. 

Isaac, who was the legal heir of this Patriarch, with 
his son Jacob, received a confirmation of the truth reveal- 
ed to their venerable sire, and transmitted it, with the 
duties of pure devotion and faith, to the twelve tribes ef 
Jacob, who were trained up in the discipline and admo- 
nition of the wisdom and religion of their fathers : And 
among them, we hear nothing of idolatry for about four 
hundred years. There might have been, it is true, some 
examples of departure from the belief of a revelation to 
their ancestors, but if it were so, history is sUent upon 
the subject. 

From the time of the descent of the Israelites into 
Egypt, till about the period of their Exodus, we hear lit- 
tle of them except that a large company of them once re- 
visited the land of their ancestors, to deposit the earthly 
remains of their revered father. 

At length there appears to have been one of their num- 
ber, reared up in the palace of the Egyptian monarch, 
who professed to be divinely inspired and instructed to 
deliver his countrymen and kindred from their bondage 
and slavery : That he actually led them from the bond- 
age and tyranny of Egypt, and delivered to them a code 
of laws, professedly by divine authority, which they re- 
ceived, and acknowledged to be from God. (Whether 
his authority was divine for what he did, will be discussed 
in a future Lecture.) 

After performing many astonishing prodigies (which we 
term miracles) for their deliverance and support, a law is 
presented to them, which sternly prohibits the worship of 
but one God, accompanied with the assurance that he 
created and governed the heavens and the earth, and was 
the proper Ruler and Moral Governor of the universe. 
It prohibited licentiousness of every description, and pre- 
scribed the duties of love and obedience to God, and the 
obligation of kindness^ forbearance and benevolence to 
mankind. And it is strongly, and with much reason, sus- 
pected, that the wisest and best of the heathen philoso- 
phers drew the leading features of their systems of mo* 
rality from this ancient and venerable code. 



DIVINE REVELATION. 



41 



■fo the readers of ancient history, it is well known, that 
sacrifices hold a rank among the most ancient institutions 
of the earth : And it is equally obvious that all, and even 
the most polished nations of antiquity, were addicted to 
the barbarous custom of offering human sacrifices, to ap- 
pease the wrath, or obtain the favor of the gods which 
%vere commonly worshipped among them. But in the in- 
stitutions which were urged by Moses, no such oflferings 
were encouraged, or even allowed. This simple fact, of 
itself, proves that the condition of human society was 
greatly meliorated and improved by the introduction of 
the Mosaic dispensation : So that in the very outset of the 
comparison, we see that a vast improvement was secured 
by the introduction of revealed religion. 

Among the Egyptians, the astonishing number of 66G 
sacrifices of difllerent kinds were ordained to be offered : 
but among the Israelites, a few, and only a few objects 
were selected for this ancient service. 

The laws which were originated and enforced by hu- 
man wisdom could only take cognizance of the actions of 
men ; while the divine law took cognizance of the thoughts 
and intentions of the heart : For it commands — ^^ Thou 
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with 
all thy soul, and with ail thy strength. And now Israel, 
what doth the Lord thy God require of thei3, but to fear 
the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love 
him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and 
with all thy soul. To keep the commandments of the 
Lord, and the statutes which I command thee this day for 
thy good." Deut. v. 6. xi. 12. These few examples 
show the superiority of the divine laws, over those of all 
human-legislators, in that they apply their authority to the 
temper of the mind or soul, and claim a sacred influence 
over the hearts and affections of their subjects. 

They forbid injustice, theft and covetousness, and re- 
quire the duties of justice, honesty, faithfulness and truth, 
in all our intercourse with human society ; and to love our 
neighbor as ourselves. 

The Jewish law, for its liberality to slaves, holds a pre- 
eminent rank among all the institutions ol ancient, or even 
modern times^ where slavery has been permitted : And 
5 



42 DEFENCE OF 

were this law now observed among civilized nations, most 
of the horrors of slavery would soon be annihilated : For 
in case the master used or employed any such cruelty or 
severity as to deprive a slave of any of the principal mem- 
bers of his body, or even of a tooth, he forfeited all the 
right he before held in him ; and the slave, so treated, was 
henceforth free from his master. The chastity of female 
slaves was carefully guarded by the same law, so that any 
violence of her master was a total forfeiture of his right to 
her services, and her freedom v/as instantly restored. 

Could we review all the laws of ancient nations, we 
should find nothing in them to equal the humanity and 
tenderness which is prescribed by the Jewish statute, for 
the poor, for widows, for orphans, and for slaves. The 
laws of almost every ancient nation abandoned slaves of 
both sexes to the lust and brutality of their masters. At 
Lacedemon, slaves were treated with the most inhuman 
barbarity, and couid claim no protection from the laws.— 
If a slave possessed a noble or elegant figure, and thus 
wore an appearance above his condition, he was con- 
demned to die : Add to this, his master was fined, that he 
might feel the necessity of exercising such severity upon 
his other slaves as to prevent them from ofi'ending the 
eyes of the citizens by the beauty or accomplishments of 
their persons. 

The vSpartans were authorized by their laws to fall up- 
on the Helots, while they were laboring iii the fields, and 
massacre the ablest men amongst them : And this they 
did for mere exercise, and to prevent too great an increase 
of slaves ! This was one of the laws of Lycurgus, so fa- 
mous in the annals of Greece, for his moderation, wisdom 
and philosophy ! 

But Rome, 'still more barbarous, looked calmly on and 
beheld her opulent men slaughter their slaves, without 
the shadow of any cause for complaint against them. This 
ihey did, for the purpose of supplying their fish ponds with 
hutnan flesh, '^ to make their lampreys more delicious by- 
such nourishment !" An able writer* well observes, that 
''Even under the eyes of the m.agistrates, thousands of 

* David Levi, from whose defence of the Old Testament these 
facts are boiTowed. 



I 



DIVINE REVELATION. 43 

these unhappy creatures expired in the amphitheatre, for 
the amusement of a fierce and cruel people ; and some 
festival days caused more human blood to flow in the em- 
pire, than many days of battle." 

Whoever has read the writings of Anacreon and Hor- 
ace, has seen to what abominable excesses of inconti- 
nence and cruelty, both the Greeks and Romans were ad- 
dicted. Their cruelty seems to be nearly without bounds : 
Yea, and it almost curdles the crimson flood, in the heart 
of sensibility, to read the Roman laws respecting slaves. 
By these laws they are compared to beasts of burden, and 
are exposed to the most cruel tortures. Did the master 
of a family happen to be assassinated, every slave beneath 
the same roof, and all others within such a distance as the 
human voice might be su[>posed capable of reaching, were 
condemned to death without distinction. 

As might well be expected, the inevitable consequence 
of such cruel and barbarous institutions, was a most de- 
plorable state of morals. Ambition and violence agitated 
states and kingdoms, while every pollution and nameless 
vice, spread moral desolation and darkness over the fair- 
est portions of the globe. 

In the view which has been taken of human society 
ivithout a revelation, we have carefully avoided to notice 
all those countries, from whose inhabitants the light of sci- 
ence and philosophy have withheld their aid, and who 
have been for ages sunk in the grossest ignorance and 
barbarism ; and treated only of the most polite, polished, 
scientific and enlightened nations in all the heathen world ; 
where the most refined systems of philosophy have exert- 
ed their utmost influence to improve the condition of em- 
pires, kingdoms and states : And we have seen, that even 
these countries, of boasted science and reason, were pol- 
luted with every species of vice and cruelty, which de- 
grade the character of man : That these abominations 
were not the mere outrages of a lawless banditti, but the 
common and lawful customs of the most refined nations ; 
sanctioned and approved by the civil institutions of the 
wisest legislators of the whole pagan world. 

And I now beg leave to address the plain and impor- 
tant question to your understandings — was not the condi- 



44 DEFENCE OF 

tion of the human race, so truly unpropitious and deplora- 
ble ; so unrefined and sinful, as obviously to stand in neecj 
of the light of revelation ? Whatever may be the convic- 
tions of interested skeptics, or the proud pretensions of 
boasting philosophers ; Socrates, one of the wisest, besi 
and most renowned philosophers of antiquity, not only ac- 
knowledged his conviction of the necessity of a revelation, 
for the improvement and reformation of mankind, but ex- 
presses his firm belief that such a divine communication 
w^ould be made to the world. 

In expressing his views of what could alone effect a re- 
formation of the moral condition of mankind, he says, as 
Plato has told us — '' that it is necessary to wait till such a 
personage shall appear to teach them how they ought to 
conduct themselves, both towards God and towards man.'^ 
He then proceeds to exclaim with great fervor — " O when 
shall that period arrive ! And who shall be that teacher ? 
How ardently do I desire to see this man, who he is !"* 
}n expressing his views and anticipations of this illustrious 
personage, he says that " this Legislator must be of high- 
er than human extraction ; for that as beasts are govern- 
ed by men, so must man be guided by a nature superior 
to his own. "t And how admirably does this representa- 
tion compare with the character of the glorious Founder 
of Christianity ! 

Look, but for a mopient, upon the state of society be- 
fore the revelation of the gospel : What was it ? The 
whole gentile or heathen world was enveloped in darkness 
and involved in crime ! Cruelty, and rapine, and murder,, 
stalked abroad in open day, emboldened and sanctioned 
by the laws of the most civilized nations ! Debauchery and 
lewdness, so far from being viewed as criminal, were en- 
rolled among the most worthy and acceptable acts of de- 
votion ! The worst propensities of human nature were tol- 
erated and applauded, as commendable virtues ! 

Amidst all this degeneracy and human degradation ; 
through all this gloom and "darkness, which the light of 
nature, reason and philosophy, had in vain labored for 
ages to remove, the glorious '' sunofris:hteomness arises /" 
Repentance and reformation is demanded in the name of 

* Alcibiad. II. de Precat. t De Leg. lib. 4. 



DIVINE REVELATION. 45 

the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth, predicated up- 
on the condescension, the mercy and forgiving love of 
God ;.the beauty and excellence of moral virtue ; and 
powerfully supported by the righteous retributions of the 
Judge of quick and dead !" 

The illustrious Founder of Christianity boldly con- 
demns the degeneracy of the Jew, and the base and 
grovelling idolatry of the Greek : and in firm defiance of 
all the armies of human passions, prejudices and customs, 
he lays the axe of divine truth at the root of every evil 
tree, without the least regard to distinctions of rank or 
fortune, and exposes the horrid enormity of wickedness, in 
all its alluring forms ! 

From the lowest occupations in life, he selects his in- 
struments to oppose the pride of learning and philosophy, 
and employs the weakest and humblest of men, to contend 
against the rulers of the darkness of this world ! He tri- 
umphs over all the deep-laid schemes of his adversaries, 
and his wisdom and benevolence obtains a speedy con- 
quest over the hearts of bold and impenitent sinners ! 
Thousands flock to hear his instructive sermons^ — the 
power of God is displayed — the deaf are made to hear, 
the lame to walk, the dumb to speak, the lepers are 
cleansed, and the dead are quickened mto life ! He pro- 
fesses to be commissioned from God, whose power he dis- 
plays, and patiently yields up his life as the seal of his 
testimony. 

His followers mourn the sad reversion of their pros- 
pects, and their hearts are discouraged : But hark ! the 
tomb's strong dreary cavern first witnesses the triumphant 
glory of resurrection power, and the countenances of his 
desponding followers brighten with joy and gladness ! — 
They hasten to bear the news of his resurrection, and to 
proclaim his doctrine to the benighted tribes of Jacob, 
and the idolatrous nations of the heathen world ! And now 
mark the astonishing effect which it produces throughout 
the land of Palestine, and the wide-spread empire of the 
Romans. 

A^ the influences of Christianity began to be felt, the 
most salutary laws began to be instisuted^ corresponding 
with the pure system of morals, which were inculcate? 
5* 



46 DEFENCE OF 

and enforced by the sanctions of revealed religion. Po- 
lygamy and divorce, the two worst banes of social confi- 
dence, and of connubial peace and prosperity, soon begare 
to fall into disgrace, and in a short time, almost totally 
disappeared. The lives of children, which before were 
subject to the will and caprice of unfeeling parents, were 
now guarded by the most wholesome laws. The dreadful 
horrors of slavery were softened, and gradually removed 
from the empire. The savage ferocity of men was ex- 
changed for the spirit of mildness, meekness and peace ; 
while a laudable subordination to the civil institutions of 
the land, marked the peaceable demeanor of thousands 
who had felt the benign spirit and influence of revealed 
truth. 

Centuries had passed away, the arts and sciences had 
enjoyed a constant and progressive improvement, philos- 
©phy had unveiled her splendors, and human wisdom had 
brought forth its richest stores to improve the condition of 
the world ; but still, moral darkness, with all its frightful 
tiain of detestable vices and sufferings, triumphed over 
the noblest works of the Creator, and sunk them in bar- 
barous ignorance and the grossest superstition and impu- 
rity. The reason was, the designs of infinite wisdom and 
love, were neither written upon the sunbeam, inscribed 
upon the azure vault of heaven, or so plainly impressed 
upoR^ the pages of providence as to enable tha sapient eye 
of philosophy to decipher the doctrine of pardon and grace,, 
the future destiny of man, or the glorious hope of immor- 
tality by a resurrection from the dead. 

When these glorious truths were unfolded by the light 
of christian revelation, and man was brought to see that 
his duty and his happiness consisted in imitating the God 
of boundless compassion and grace, he felt the force of 
his obligation to love and forgive his enemies, and to em- 
ploy his best exertions for the instruction and reformation 
of mankind. This could only be done by refining and el- 
evating his conceptions of the Supreme Being, and calhng 
forth the hopes of future happy existence. No system had 
ever exerted, nor could exert this happy influence, but the 
system of revealed religion. Wherever this prevailed,, 
civilization and moral refinement progressed with a rapid- 



DIVINE REVELATION. 



47 



ity and power, unknown before in all the annals of the 
world : And I may add ; from its instructive pages, the 
invaluable charters of civil and religious rights have been 
drawn by all the civilized nations of the globe. 

Permit me then to ask the most fastidious in the school 
of skepticism, did not the condition of man imperatively 
demand the light of revelation lor his improvement and 
reformation in government and morals ? 



LECTURE IV. 



Exodus iil. 11. 
** And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto 
Pharoah, and that I should bring- forth the children of Israel out of 
Egypt V 

In my former labors, I have presented you with a brief, 
but faithful picture of the general depravity of manners 
which prevailed for a long succession of ages throughout 
the heathen world The catalogue of their enormities and 
vices, were they all brought together, which are register- 
ed on the pages of history, would swell into a ponderous 
volume, over which the benevolence and rehnements of 
the present age would be charitably inclined to draw an 
impenetrable veil. Enough, however, has been brought 
to view, to show that no means which were employed for 
centuries were found to be of sufficient influence to dimin- 
ish the aggregate of human guilt and of human wretched- 
ness. 

An unanswerable argument for the support of this con- 
clusion is found in the clear and obvious truth, that during 
these long periods of general ignorance and crime, men 
reasoned on almost every other subject, save those which 
were connected with religion, with an acufeness and pow- 
er, which clearly denote the manly growth and maturity 
of intellectual strength. 

I have shown, that during these periods of degeneracy, 
the arts and sciences were on the march of improvement, 
that learning displayed its charms, and that philosophy 
opened her richest stores for thf^ intellectual repast of 
man : And y^\^ for all their power and influence, vices 
the most shocking to human nature were openly practised 
amidst the most refined circles, and tolerated by the laws 
of the wisest legislators ! Nay, m >re — they were taught, 
and enforced, and eulogized, as the most aceptable acts 
of devotion and piety to the gods ! 



DIVINE REVELATIOir. 49^ 

These facts render the conviction irresistible, that some 
superior influence was necessary to effect a reformation 
in the moral condition, the laws, manners and habits of 
human society. And it is in vain for any man to attempt 
to deceive us by assertions, that reason and philosophy 
were sufficient to efl^ect this moral change ; for ifthis were 
true, why did they not accomplish so desirable an object, 
during the protracted period of more than two thousand 
years, in which they exerted their power throughout the 
Grecian and Roman states ? The state of society, howev- 
er, is vastly improved, in every country where the scrip- 
tures have been received and accredited : ]\or can this 
salutary change be traced to any other assignable cause^ 
than that of the influence of revealed religion. The con- 
clusion is therefore unavoidable, from this glaring con- 
trast, that a revelation from God was absolutely necessary 
to produce this astonishing improvement. 

It is barely possible that the facts and arguments which 
I have employed to show the insufficiency of reason and 
philosophy to reform the errors of mankind, correct the 
abuses of power, improve the moral condition of the world, 
and advance the refinement and happiness^ of human soci- 
ety, may have been mistaken by some superficial minds, 
for a total abandonment and rejection of these invaluable 
aids, in the acquisition of all that is ennobling and happify- 
ing to man. Should this be the case with any who have 
given me a hearing, I beg leave here to correct the error. 
So far from abandoning the aid of reason, I have appealed 
to your reason to judge and decide, from the facts which 
I have laid before you, upon the necessity of a revelation 
from God, by contrasting the condition of man, ivith, and 
without^ the light of revelation. It is by the assistance of 
this precious gift, that we are qualified to judge of the 
merits of what claims to he revelation. And if I were dis- 
posed to condemn reason, think ye that I would appeal to 
your understandings, with a view to convince you that 
God has made a revelation of his mind and will to man } 
The very thought is pregnant with the grossest absurdity. 
It is the gift of reason which qualifies us to profit by the 
sublime instructions whirh re\ elation brings to man. — 
Without it, a revelation might as well have be^ii addree^n 



50 DEFENCE OF 

eel to brute beasts ; or even to stalks and stones. Think 
not then that we discard reason, when we assign to it its 
only proper place in the great system of divine truth : 
Nor presume to esteem it the less valuable because it was 
not designed to unlock the counsels of eternity, nor judge 
of the secrets of God before they were revealed : For rea- 
son was never designed to be the rtveahr^ but the recewer 
of divine truth Nor are we the enemies of philosophy, 
because we are the friends of revelation. We prize its 
aid, and delight to explore its extended fields. We view 
it as the servant and handmaid of religion, and draw upon 
its ample stores for all the purposes of demonstration in 
the science of moral truth : But we dare not pay an athe- 
istical homage to this great mental accomplishment, by 
exalting it to an equality with the adorable fountain of 
wisdom and truth. The exclusive pretensions of our op- 
posers, therefore, to this distinguishing excellence, in the 
departments of science, is a most arrogant assumption, 
clearly attested by the splendid monuments of mental and 
scientific attainment, reared through the whole history of 
christian literature. And may I not safely add, that skep- 
tics of the present day, are indebted to christian philoso- 
phers for the noblest achievements of which the science 
itself can boast } Do not the names of Watts, Paley, New- 
ton, Locke, Reid and Stewart, stand unrivalled in the an- 
nals of literary fame ^ Then let skepticism blush and hide 
her head, when she charges the friends of revelation with 
being the enemies of philosophy. 

The question being settled which relates to the neces- 
sity of a revelation, for the civil, political and moral im- 
provement of mankind ; it cannot be deni' d, that an all- 
wise and benevolent Being should reasonably be expected 
to afford such a revelation of his mind and will as the con- 
dition of his creatures might require : And it is perfectly 
plain to every historian, that unless the Bible do contain 
such a revelation, no revelation has ever been made. But 
the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments claim that 
honor, and fearlessly challenge investigation. As this 
book professes to contain the elements of genuine history, 
as weilas the great truths of revelation, we shall now in- 
vite your attention to the credibility of the Mosaic history. 



DIVINE REVELATION. 61 

It cannot, with the shadow of reason, be denied, that 
the Jews are a people of great antiquity, and that they 
have, with the utmost zeal and diligence, preserved their 
customs and religious rites from a period oi remote an- 
tiquity. It is true, that in the first century of the christ- 
ian era, some ignorant and uninformed zealots among the 
Greek writers, denied the antiquity of their origin because 
they were not mentioned by certain Greek historians who 
had gone before them : But the same is true with regard 
to the Romans : For notwithstanding they had long exist- 
ed as a war-like and powerful people, yet they are never 
mentioned by Herodotus, Thucydides, nor any oi' their co- 
temporaries. The reason why the Jews were so little 
known by many nations, was owing to their inhabiting an 
inland country, and devoting themselves almost exclusive- 
ly to the business of agriculture. It is easy, however, to 
show, that they were not so secluded as to be passed un- 
noticed by the most ancient nations, nor even by the best 
Greek historians. The more ancient nations whose wri- 
ters have made mention of the Jews, are the Egyptians, 
Phoenicians, Tyrians and Chaldeans. Of their antiquity 
and authority, no suspicion can be entertained, unless we 
discard the voice of history altogether. 

Manetho, the Egyptian historian, is alleged by Jose^ 
phus to have mentioned their departure, with their fami- 
lies and effects, out of Egypt, and their settlement in Je- 
rusalem in the land of Judea. And notwithstanding this 
historian is supposed to have blended much fable w^ith his 
narrative of facts, yet the description which he gives of 
them as shepherds renders it a credible conclusion that the 
ancient Israelites were intended to be described. 

Justin, a Latin historian, who abridged the universal 
history of Trogus Pompeius, which was written about half 
a century before the birth of Christ, speaks of the depart- 
ure of the Israelites from Egypt, but assigns a different 
cause for their exodus. This, however, does not invali- 
date, but is evidence of the fact, that in the days of this 
historian, the account of the departure of the children of 
Israel, under the conduct of Moses, was a truth univer- 
sally acknowledged. Trogus Pompeius asserts '' that the 
magicians caused Moses and the Israelites to be expelled^ 



o2 BEPENCE Ot 

because they themselves were afflicted with a kind of mur- 
rain or leprosy, and were atraid" that the disease would 
become general. To this measure they pretended to have 
been directed by an oracle. This seems plainly to allude 
to the plague of biles, with which the Egyptians were 
smitten ; and therefore directly corroborates the Mosaic 
history of that signal judgment upon the cruel and oppres- 
sive Egyptians. 

Tacitus, the Roman historian, tells us that the Jews 
were expelled from Egypt, on account of their having the 
leprosy. Now these testimonies show that Moses and the 
Israelites were, for some cause or other, hurried out of the 
land of Egypt. Thus history, both sacred and profane^^^ 
confirms the fact, that the Israelites were in bondage iitj 
Egypt, and that they suddenly left that country in thetj 
days of Moses. Two causes are assigned for their suddenf"! 
departure from the land of their oppression ; the one by! 
Moses, and the other by heathen historians : And firstH 
the hand or power of God, visibly displayed for their de^f 
liverance ; and secondly ^ the fear of the Egyptians, lest thefl 
leprosy should be communicated to their own people bj 
the Israelites : But the latter cause assigned was impos- 
sible and absurd, for this plain reason — It is a well-knowrf j 
fact that the leprosy was a disternper common to the Egyp- 
tians, and is therefore called the disease of Egypt, by the I 
Hebrew Legislator. And is there the least shadow oil 
consistency in supposing that the Egyptians would expefi 
the Israelites from their country on accounf of a distemper 
which was common to the climate, and to which they had 
always been subjected ? If such a conclusion then be in- 
admissible, to what assignable cause can their exodus be 
traced, but to that which is recorded in the writings of 
Moses ? 

In addition to these evidences, the most ancient histori- 
ans agree that there were from two to six hundred thou- 
sand of the Israelites which left Egypt in the days, and 
under the conduct of Moses. JV^nnenius, a. Pythagorian' jj 
philosopher, informs his readers that Jannas and Jambre^ 
were employed by the Egyptians to oppose the efforts and 
pravers of Moses and to hinder the efferts of his miracles^ 
which had brought down so many and grievous plagues 



blVlN^ REVELATION. ^3 

'Upon Egypt, about the time that the Jews were banished 
from that country : and reference is made by a writer of 
the New Testament to the same iact ^d Tim. iii. 8. 

The Phoenician records, as preserved by the Tyrians, 
mention the friendly intercourse between Solomon, king of 
Israel, and Hiram, king of Tyre, and tell us that Solomon 
buih the Temple af Jerusalem : Although this fact does 
not directly concern the Mosaic history, yet it is thought 
proper to give it a place, as we pass along, since it is an 
important evidence of the existence of the Jewish nation, 
more than a thousand years beforo the birth of Christ; 
and at that remote per4od, nothing can be more obvious 
than the fact, that the Mosaic records were not only re- 
ceived and credited, but universally acknowledged as of 
divine authority. 

The PhcBuician historian, Menander, the Ephesian, who 
recorded the acts of the Greeks and barbarians, under all 
the Tyrian kings, also mentions the building of the Tem- 
ple at Jerusalem, in the 12th year of the reign of Hiram. 

Berosus, the Chaldean historian, not only mentions 
many of the most wonderful events which are recorded by 
Moses, such as the deluge, the ark, and the repeopliiig of 
the post-deluvian world ; but he mentions the Jews, in 
particular, and their captivity in Babylon. 

Cherilus, an ancient Greek poet, mentions the Jews, as 
constituting a part of the army of Xerxes, in his expedi- 
tion against Greece, and describes them as speaking the 
Phoenician tongue, (which, according to Josephus, they 
did speak,) and t-ells his readers that they came from the 
Solymian mountains, (which were in Judea,) near abroad 
lake ; which could be none other than the lake Asphaliitisy 
so famous in biblical history. 

Pythagoras is represented by his biographer, Hermip- 
pus, to have acknowledged the doctrines of the Jews ; and 
it is believed from good evidence, that he incorporated 
many of their laws into his philosophy. 

Hecateus, of Abdera, who was contemporary with Al- 
exander the Great, while this prince wasaj^outh, compos- 
ed one entire book concerning- the Jev/s, embracing a val- 
uable but brief history of their country, their laws, their 
antiquity, their customs, their religious rites, their suffer- 
6 



54 ©EFENCE OF 

ings and persecutions for their constancy and unbending 
perseverance in defence of the religion and laws, which 
had been handed down to them from remote antiquity. — 
Indeed, his writings, although a heathen historian, so 
clearly confirm the antiquity of the Jews and their relig- 
ion, that the most important facts concerning them, seem 
to be placed beyond a reasonable doubt. The facts which 
I have noticed, are principally embraced by Josephus, in 
his first book against Appian, and may also be found in the 
first vol. of Bishop Watson's Theological Collections. 

Numerous other testimonies might be mentioned, were 
it not, that their introduction would be an unnecessary 
trespass upon your patience. I will therefore only add ; 
that Moses was the author of the Pentateuch, is a fact 
which has obtained the consent of all nations. The learn- 
ed Huetius fairly arrives at the conclusion, that all relig- 
ions have borrowed their theology from the writings of 
Moses ; whose history they have altered and corrupted, 
so as to accommodate the fabulous accounts with \\hich 
they have amused and deluded their credulous and super- 
stitious subjects : That all the fabulous deities of the an- 
cients were indebted for their origin to gross misappre- 
hensions and corruptions of the important truths which the 
five books of Moses contain. This truth is obvious from 
the consent of the most ancient authors, of which we have 
any account : For several of them have taken entire pas- 
sages from his books ; particularly Sanchoniathan, Ho- 
mer, Hesiod, Thales, Pythagoras, Anaxagoras, Socrates, 
and Plato : while Manetho, Philochorus, Eupolemus, and 
several others, of the ancient writers, explicitly declare 
that Moses was the lawgiver of the Jews and ihe founder 
of their religion ; and ri^ot a few of them treat distinctly of 
his laws ! Nay, even Porphyry, and Julian, the apostate, 
acknoii'kdged that the five first books of scripture, which 
are attributed to Moses, were written by him ! These facts 
are crathered from Du Pin's^rst vol. of ecclesiastical his- 
tory^ the/rs/ vol. of his scripture Canon, the first book of 
Grotius, and theirs/ vol. of Jenkins' Christianity. 

It may therefore be asserted, without the fear of contra-* 
diction, that no historian whose writings have come down 
to our times, stands supported by such a respectable num- 



DIVINE REVELATION. OO 

ber of witnesses, as does the celebrated lawgiver of the 
Jews. And 1 here ask ; is there a single historian, ei- 
ther ancient or modern, who has denied the fact that Mo- 
ses wrote the history which is ascribed to him ? This will 
not, it cannot be pretended, with the least colouring of 
truth. The history of Moses, therefore, stands upon an 
immoveable foundation, against which ail the storms of 
skepticism must rage, and for ever rage in vain. And ev- 
ery man of sober and candid reflection, cannot but view 
it as the madness of delirium, to suppose that a numerous 
and intelligent nation, like the Jews, consisting of many 
hundred thousands, could be duped by the grossest impos- 
ture and wickedness, be led by the force of pretended 
miracles, performed in open day ; miracles on which their 
very existence depended, and continued to hang, for forty 
years, if these pretensions were all a cheat, and destitute 
•of divine reality for their support. Whoever can arrive 
at such a stupid and absurd conclusion, must think him- 
self a paragon of wisdom, and that the Jews w^ere a nation 
of the most consummate blockheads that ever disgraced 
i.he enrth ^ 

Ttie mstory wtiicii tms nigtiiy lavorea ana ceieoraiea 
prophet has left for the instruction of the generations that 
were destined to follow him, is evidently the most ancient 
;of all that have been presented to the world, as well as 
the most interesting for the facts which it contains, and 
:the variety of the subjects which it embraces. It carries, 
us back to a period when '^ the earth was without form 
and void" of inhabitants, and acquaints us with the origin 
of our existence. It makes us acquainted with the char- 
acter and manners of the ante-deluvian ages, and recounts 
the most astonishing changes which have transpired since 
the morning of creation. 

It displays in a plain and simple succession, the order 
of the most ancient generations, and contains the only ac- 
count with which the inhabitants of this world have ever 
been furnished, of the creation, which wears the appear- 
ance of probability ; inasmuch as it traces the origin of all 
things to the will and power of God. It accounts for the 
introduction of moral evil in a manner perfectly consistent 
with the dictates of reason^ if we butkeep in remembrance 



oS DEFENCE <5r 

the universal custom which prevailed among the anci^nt^^ 
of clothing their descriptive narrations in highly tigurative 
language. Were it not incompatible with the design of 
this discourse, the credibility oi the Mosaic history could 
easily be demonstrated by the evidences of his prophetic 
inspiration : But this is designed to form the subject of a 
future lecture. 

We will now leave out the question of his inspiration, 
and show that Moses might be qualified to furnish the 
brief history of the ante-deluvian world, and the interven- 
ing ages from that general catastrophe to his own times, 
which his writings contain, by means of oral tradition, 
which was the earliest and only method, (aside from rev- 
elation,) of handing down the knowledge of important 
events, from the creation of the world to the period of the 
invention of letters. In doing this, however, let it be dis- 
tinctly understood, that we inflexibly maintain the inspira- 
tion of this venerable prophet of God. 

The longevity of man, before the flood, certainly was 
most favorable to this mode of conveying truths which 

IS not unreasonable to suppose that the first of human be- 
ings should have some knowledge of their origin, and the 
elevated rank which they held in the scale of being. 
From the chronology of the Mosaic history, it is easy to 
discover how these truths could be communicated from 
age to age, without exceeding the bounds of reasonable 
probability. 

According to the Mosaic chronology, Methuselah lived 
two hundred and forty-three years with Adam, and about 
ninety-seven years with Shem, the son of Noah : So that 
all the important events which transpired before the flood 
had only to pass through one person, to a period long af- 
ter the general deluge. Jacob, the father of the twelve 
tribes, which went with him into Egypt, lived with Shem 
fifty vears : So that only tlu^ee persons, Methuselah, Shem, 
and Jacob, were necessary to communicate this knowl- 
edge from the days of Adam down to the time when the 
children of Israel went to dwell in the land of Goshen ; 
through a period of ^'^SS vears. Nor is it more difficult 
to perceive how Moses might come into possession of 



DIVINE REVELATION. 51 

these facts : For his grand-father, Amram, lived a con- 
siderable time with Joseph, the son of Jacob, and also 
with Moses, the author of the history in question : So that 
only tioo persons, Joseph and Amram, were necessary to 
communicate the same knowledge from Jacob to Moses : 
Making in the whole, but six persons, through whom this 
intelligence would have to pass, from Adam to Moses. 

The general corruption, however, which soon prevailed 
throughout the earth, by the introduction and practice of 
idolatry ; together with the fact, that the life of man be- 
came shortened, were causes which rendered oral tradi- 
tion an unsafe medium for conveying any important infor- 
mation from generation to generation. Hence it became 
necessary to commit to writing all the important truths of 
history, as well as a revelation of the mind and will of 
God, that they might be preserved in their purity for the 
instruction of future ages. 

In this discourse I have confined my remarks to a few 
particulars, as leading traits in the character of the Mosaic 
history, and have found them supported by the testimony 
of the most ancient historians among the heathen. Indeed, 
they have, in all ages of the world, been so well attested 
as to be acknowledged by all the ancient nations, who 
have ever been represented to the world by a respectable 
historian of their own. 

But as modern skepticism affects to deny and abuse the 
Mosaic history, we now demand, what evidence has it ev- 
er produced to prove this history false ? We answer, with- 
out the fear of contradiction, not a particle of evidence has 
it ever produced to invalidate the truth of this history, nor 
can any such evidence be obtained, from any of the au- 
thentic records of ancient or modern lore. The voice of 
history refutes their cavils and condemns their unbelief; 
while it yields an assent to the truth of these ancient and 
venerable records. 

These facts show with great clearness that the Mosaic 
history is the only rational account of the creation, and 
the origmal state of mankind, which has ever been pre- 
sented to the world. ^ 

The supposition that Moses could palm a fiction of his 
own upon the Jewish nation, as the authentic history of 



5B DEFENCE OF, &C. 

themselves and their ancestors, is without a parallel for 
absurdity, in all the annals of ignorance, superstitio.i, cre- 
dulity, and fanatical madness. And I greatly marvel that 
a rational being can be found, to deny the authenticity of 
a record so clear, and so amply attested. 

And I trust, that all those who are disposed to attend to 
the evidences which have been adduced, and which still 
remain to be set before them, will be I'ully confirmed in the 
belief of their faithfulness, as well as of their importance in 
the history of the human race. 



liECTURE V. 



St. Luke xvii. 27. 
" They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given 
in marriage, unil the day that Noe entered into the ark : and the 
flood came and destroyed them all." 

It is not so surprising that the voice of Noah's prophecy 
should have been disregarded by the ante-deluvian world, 
as that the more modern and enlightened ages should be 
affected with the mania of unbending infidelity. For it 
cannot be made fully to appear that rain had ever fallen 
upon the then inhabited part of the globe. We only read, 
before this eventful catastrophe, that '^ there came up a 
mist and watered the face of the ground." 

Those to whom this prophet and preacher of righteous- 
ness addressed the unwelcome intelligence of an ap- 
proaching deluge, no doubt considered and treated his 
message as the idle dream of an extravagant enthusiast. 
And although he continued to raise his warning voice, for 
the space of 120 years, it does not appear to have produced 
any salutary effect beyond the limits of his own house- 
hold. It would rather seem that his preaching, and prep- 
aration for the approaching flood, was a subject of merri- 
ment and jest, instead of sober reflection and repentance 
for sin. For we are plainly certified by our text, that 
" they did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were 
given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into 
the ark :" and were inconscious of danger, until the flood, 
with resistless fury, burst upon them and swept them all 
away. 

The event of which we are now called to treat, stands 
without a parallel for its magnitude and importance, in the 
annals of the ancient world." We cannot contemplate with- 
out emotions of pity and regret, the ruins of splendid king- 
doms and empires, the sad memorials of whose greatness 



60 DEFENCE OF 

are now crumbling into decay, nor pass over the broken 
triumphal arch, that once extended itself over the power- 
ful senate of Rome, without dropping the tear of sensibil- 
ity, or perceiving that the hand of time has inscribed up- 
on her prostrate pillars, her mouldering temples, her an- 
cient grandeur, and upon all her earthly majesty, the 
mournful, but faithful motto — ^' Thy glory is departed," 
and the sun of thy splendor is set to rise no more ! But 
what are all the ruins and desolations of the most splendid 
cities or empires of the earth, when compared with the 
awful catastrophe which involved the ruin of a world ! 
They sink into insignificance, and are utterly unworthy of 
the comparison. 

As awful, magnificent, and sublime, as this tremendous 
overthrow of a sinful world must appear, to the serious, re- 
flecting mind, unbelievers scoff at the very mention of the 
fact, and treat it as the dream of enthusiasts ! It therefore 
devolves on me to show that the history of the deluge is 
not only related with the plainest simplicity by the Hebrew 
lawgiver, but that his narration is supported by the concur- 
rent testimonv of all the most ancient nations, whose rec- 
ords and traditions have been preserved and handed down 
to the present age. 

When we reflect that Moses penned the history of the del- 
uge about 1500 years before the birth of Christ, and deliv- 
ered his writings jnto the hands of his countrymen, with a 
solemn injunction that they should be read in their pub- 
lic assemblies, upon every returning Sabbath ; it would 
indeed appear to be an evidence of the most astonishing 
stupidity, that a whole nation should be led at once to 
give their unqualified assent to his narration, if it were 
nothing more than a mere fable, or a sublime fiction, 
which had its origin in the fertility of the brilliant imag- 
ination of their leader Our reason forces us to the con- 
clusion, that had not the story of the flood been the sub- 
ject of oral tradition, the multitude would have been led 
to express their doubts, and to demand some further evi- 
dence of the fact : But instead of calling in question the 
truth of this narrative, it appears that the fact was univer- 
sally acknowled2:ed ; and that they were able to trace 
their ancestors directly up to the very family which had 



BIVINE REVELATION. Gl 

been so miraculously preserved from that general ruin by 
which the world was overthrown. Nor do we find, in all 
the records of antiquity, that the Jews, or any of the an- 
cient nations, called in question the important fact under 
consideration. If it were not, therefore, a truth on which 
the utmost reliance vvas placed, in all former ages, why 
have not their objections and their doubts been transmit- 
ted by the page of history to our times, as well as the re- 
cord of a thousand circumstances and facts which are of 
infinitely less importance to the world ? But history, and 
the most ancient traditions, both unite in lending their 
support to the account with which we are furnished by the 
w»'itings of Moses, of an universal deluge. 

The testimony of historians is so ample upon this sul>- 
ject, that I shall onjy select a few of the most plain and 
pointed, to show that the fact of which we are treating is 
supported by the concurrent testimony of the most ancient 
nations. 

I have had occasion already to remark, that at an early 
period after the flood, idolatry became the prevailing cus- 
tom of the post-fleluvian world. And it is natural to sup- 
pose that so distinguished a personage as Noah, would be 
found among the earliest objects of their religious venera- 
tion. That a kind of religious homage was paid to this 
venerable patriarch and friend of God, may be clearly 
seen by consulting the statements of the ingenious Mr. 
Bryant, which are inserted in the Encyclopedia, upon the 
subject of the deluge. According to this mythologist, the 
illustrious individual who was preserved in the ark, was 
signified by different names among all the most ancient 
nations, whose history or traditions have come down to the 
present generation. Indeed, antiquity abounds with tes- 
timony relating to the deluge ; and it is a position capa- 
ble of being clearly maintained, that the heathen mythol- 
ogy sprang from the ancient traditions of this wonderful 
event. 

The ingenious writer which has been mentioned, shows 
with great clearness, that Prometheus, Deucalion, Osiris, 
Inachus, Atlas, Zuth, Xuthus, Theuth, Dagon, and many 
other names, celebrated in heathen mythology, were mere- 
ly names, by which Noah, the patriarch and father of the 



62 DEFENCE OP | 

new world, emerging from the flood, was intended : And 
it ought to be distinctly borne in remembrance that the 
traditions of a general deluge are not peculiar to ancient 
heathen writers, but abound in India ; are found in the 
distant Islands of the Pacific ocean, and are familiar to 
the aborigines of our own continent. We have time, how- 
ever, only to notice a few of the many accounts with 
which we are furnished in relation to this subject. 

From the history of Chaldea and Assyria, written by 
Abydenus, of which only a few fragments have been pre- 
served by Eusebius, the following remarkable passage in 
relation to our general subject, has been handed down to 
us. In speaking of several ante-deluvian monarchs, he 
adds — " After these reigned many others, and then Seisi- 
thrus ; to whom Saturn foretold, that there should fail a 
prodigious flood of rain on the fifteenth day of the month 
Desius ; and commanded him to deposit all his writings 
in Heliopolis, a city of the Sipparians. Having obeyed 
this injunction, Seisithrus, without delay, sailed into Ar- 
menia, and found the prediction of the god realized. On 
*he third day, after the waters were abated, he sent out 
birds, that he might ascertain whether the earth had yet 
appeared through the flood. But these, finding only a 
boundless sea, and having no resting place, returned to 
Seisithrus. In the same manner did others. And again 
he sent the third time : for they had returned to him, hav- 
ing their wings polluted with mud. Then the gods trans- 
lated him from among men ; and his ship came into Ar- 
menia, the wood of which is there used as a charm " — - 
He also adds a remark, when treating of the sagacity of 
animals, by which he evidently refers to the dove that 
Noah sent from the ark : for he says, " Deucalion's dove, 
sent from the ark, upon her return, brought a sure indica- 
tion that the tempests had yielded to tranquillity.'' 

No man, I think, possessing common discernment, can 
read this simple fragment of ancient heathen history, with- 
out bein^ struck with the s^reat similarity which it bears to 
the account of Noah and his ark ; nor does it appear pos- 
sible for any man to avoid seeing that it is in substance 
the history of the same facts that are recorded by Moses, 



BIYINE REVELATION'. 63 

Josephus, in his first book against Appian, quotes the 
same facts from Berosus, another Chaldean histoiian : for 
he says— -^' This Berosus, treading in the steps of the most 
ancient writers, has recorded the same facts as Moses, in 
relation to the deluge — the destruction of mankind by it 
—the ark in which Noah, the father of our race, was pre- 
served — and its resting on the tops of the Armenian moun- 
tains." To this general account, Josephus tells us that 
Berosus adds — " It is reported that part of the ship now 
remains in Armenia, on the Gordyaean mountains (the 
same that is called Ararat by Moses) and that some bring 
thence pitch, which they use as a charm." 

Lucian, a famous writer among the Greeks (in the reign 
of Marcus Aurelius) gives the account of a very ancient 
history of the ark, which he says was laid up in Hieraopo- 
lis of Syria : and he tells us that the Greeks gave the fol- 
lowing account of the deluge — " That the first race of 
men were self-willed, perpetrating many crimes, regard- 
less of oaths, inhospitable, uncharitable : for which cause 
great calamities fell upon them. For suddenly the earth 
threw out much water : a deluge of rain fell from heaven : 
rivers overflowed exceedingly ; and the sea itself over- 
spread the globe to that degree, that all things were over- 
whelmed by the water, and the whole of mankind perish- 
ed. Deucalion alone remained, the source of another ge- 
neration, on account of his prudence and piety. He was 
preserved thus : In a great ark, which he had prepared, 
he placed his wives and his children, and entered also 
himself After them went in bears, and horses, and lions, 
and serpents, and all other living creatures upon the face 
of the earth, by pairs. He received all these animals, 
which had no power to injure him, but were exceedingly 
familiar, being overruled by divine influence. These all 
floated together, in the same ark, so long as the waters 
were upon the earth." And here allow me to remark, 
that the learned Grotius has informed us, that the names 
" Seisithrus, Ogyges and Deucalion, are all names, signi- 
fying in other languages, the same as Noah does in the 
Hebrew, the language in which Moses wrote." 

This fact, therefore, shows us that the various names 
which have been employed by different nations, in their 



64 ^ DEFENCiE OF 

narratives of the deluge, were designed to signify the 
same identical person, and that illustrious individual was 
IVoah. 

Diodorus Sicullus informs us that the Egyptians have a 
tradition, that '* Deucalion's was the universal deluge." 
Mr. Bryant, the ingenious author which we have had oc- 
casion to mention before, affirms that the Osiris of the 
Egyptians, was a name applied to Ham, and frequently to 
Noah. Plato declares " that a certain Egyptian priest re- 
lated to Solon, out of their sacred books, the history of the 
universal deluge ; which took place long belbre the par- 
tial inundations known to the Grecians." The Chinese 
have a tradition, that '^ Puoneu, (their JVoah^) with his 
family, escaped the general deluge," and was the favored 
instrument by which the world was repeopled, after the 
universal destruction of its inhabitants by water. Plu- 
tarch tells us that " Osiris went into the ark, on the sev- 
enteenth of Athyr," which was the second month after the 
autumnal equinox ; the very day fixed by Moses, for the 
commencement of the deluge. 

These facts so powerfully and plainly corroborate the 
history of Moses^ that the most ordinary reader can discov- 
er, through the records of the most ancient nations, such 
evident traces of an universal deluge, as to remove all 
doubt upon the subject, so far as the fact is concerned, 
unless he is disposed to shut out all the light of history 
upon an event so important in the annals of the ancient 
world. 

Should any farther evidence be required to place this 
fact in a still stronger light, such evidence may be found 
in the histories and traditions of almost every part of the 
globe. '' Sir William Jones, by whom a society for the 
advancement of Asiatic literature has been instituted at 
Calcutta, has discovered, that in the oldest mythological 
books of that country, there is such an account of the del- 
uge as corresponds sufficiently with that of Moses " In 
addition to these, the Persians have preserved such tra- 
ditions of the flood, as to remove all reasonable doubt that 
it has long been believed among them. To the ancient 
inhabitants of the Island of Cuba, the history, or rather 
tradition, of the creation and tlie flood, appears to have 



DIVINE REVELATION. 65 

been familiar. For, Herrera informs us that these natives 
were in possession of the facts, that the world was created 
by a superior intelligence, and asserted that they had con- 
siderable information concerning the flood : they had a 
tradition that the world was once destroj^ed by Vvater : and 
" that an old man, knowing the deluge was to come, built 
a great ship, and went into il with his family and abun- 
dance of animals : that he sent out a crow, which did not at 
first return, staying to feed on the carcases of dead animals, 
but afterwards came back with a green branch." They 
also retained a tradition, answering to the account of No- 
ah's two sons covering him while in a state of inebriation, 
and the scoffings of the third. 

The Mexicans, we are told in Casta's history of the In- 
dies, " make particular mention of a deluge in their coun- 
try, by which all men were drowned." — By Nieuhoff's 
voyages to Brazil, " we are informed, that the most bar- 
barous of the Brazilians, inhabiting the inland countries, 
though they scarcely knew any thing of religion, or an Al- 
mighty Being ; they have some knowledge remaining of a 
general deluge : it being their opinion that the whole race 
of mankind were extirpated by a general deluge, except 
one man and his sister." 

The Peruvians, according to the author of the history 
of the Indies, asserted that they had received by tradition 
from their ancestors, that long before there were any kings 
among their forefathers, '' when the country was very pop- 
ulous, there happened a great flood : the sea breaking out 
beyond its bounds, so that the land was covered with wa- 
ter, and all the people perished." Other natives of the 
American continent have recited the same tradition, and 
aflirm, that the whole race of man was then destroyed ^'ex- 
cept six persons (the precise number of Noah's' family) 
being saved in a float, from whom alLthe inhabitants of the 
country descended." 

It would be easy to multiply examples in confirmation 
of the truth which we have asserted, that the fact of the 
general deluge was confirmed by the concurrent testimony 
of the most ancient nations, and the traditions of the most 
rude and uncultivated wanderers of the forest : Enough 



66 DEFEXCE OF 

however, has been produced to place the subject beyond 
dispute. 

The history which is given by Moses, of this terrific 
overthrow of a sinful world, is evidently the most ancient 
of any that has ever been preserved, and might, therefore, 
be expected to contain a more full and perfect account of 
that memorable event than any other now extant : And to 
all such as have examined this subject with attention, it 
must be obvious, that the account which Moses furnishes 
is the most full, simple and consistent, that has ever been 
submitted for rational inspection. 

The probability of such an event as the deluge, is 
strengthened and confirmed by appearances, which admit 
of no other satisfactory solution : I mean the vast quanti- 
ties of marine substances, found in every country, upon 
the highest mountains, at all distances from the sea, and 
to considerable depths below the surface of the earth. 
These must either have been tossed by the violence of 
earthquakes from the bed of the sea, to their present de- 
posits, or have been formed during the long period which 
the waters of the flood remained upon the earth. But the 
supposition, that it was the effect of earthquakes, is totally 
inadmissible, since they are found upon the highest moun- 
tains, and at the greatest distances from the ocean. The 
only conclusion, therefore, which will bear the scruti- 
ny *^of reason, is, that they were formed during the period 
in which the earth was overflowed, in the days of Noah. 

A method which has sometimes been em.ployed to ac- 
count for these extensive fragments of marine production, 
by supposing that they might have been left by those grad- 
ual recedings of the ocean, from some parts of the earth, 
which have been recorded by historians ; is, to say the 
least of it, extremely improbable, if not impossible : — For 
all the changes efl'ected by the cause here urged, which 
historians have noticed, or tradition has handed dovvn from 
the remotest antiquity, will bear no comparison with the 
effects which are too obvious for denial, in every part of 
the globe, of marine substances, which must have been 
left behind, when the waters of the deluge retreated. In- 
deed, the hypothesis we are considering, appears to be so 



DIVINE PvEVELATION. 



67 



wild and extravagant, that we can see no reason for its be- 
ing offered, except the unavoidable strait to which the de- 
niers of revelation are driven by the unanswerable eviden- 
ces of a general deluge, in every part of the globe. And 
when we consider all the instances which ever have, or 
can be produced, of additional portions of land to either 
islands or continents, by the waves of the sea ; the acces- 
sion has been so slow, and so trifling, that it would involve 
the conclusion of the world's antiquity, little inferior to the 
absurdity of its absolute eternity !— But this hypothesis 
has already been refuted in the first lecture of this course. 

It would be an unnecessary labor, besides an unrea- 
sonable tax upon your patience, to lay before you the ob- 
jections which have been urged against the deluge, by 
ingenious philosophers, v»^ith the able, clear and conclusive 
replies which have been furnished by the friends of reve- 
lation. But I can refer those who wish to examine the 
arguments upon this subject at large, to the Encyclope- 
dia, where they will find all the arguments and evidences 
which appear to be worth preserving and handing down 
to posterity, upon a subject so important to the faith and 
interest of revealed religion ; and which are confidently 
believed to be sufficient to remove all doubts that may 
arise, respecting the veracity and credibility of the He- 
brew historian. 

I have now shown by undeniable evidence, that the 
Mosaic history of the deluge is supported by the testimo- 
ny of all the most ancient nations, whose histories or tra- 
ditions have reached the present age : I have proved, 
that in every continent, and among the most refined, 
as well as the most barbarous nations of the globe, the 
same general outlines of the deluge have been retained 
and believed, through all the generations which have 
succeeded that memorable epoch. And I now submit 
the question to the decision of your reason and sober un- 
derstanding, whether any fact which must depend upon 
the voice of history, the voice of tradition, and the phys- 
ical evidences which are scattered over the whole sur- 
face of the globe, has ever received a more full, clear, 
and ample support than the interesting part of the Mosaic 
history which has been the subject of this lecture : And 



SB DEfEKCE Of 

I am fully persuaded that whoever will consider the evi- 
dences which 1 have laid before you, with the least de- 
gree of candor, will be fully satisfied of the unqualified 
credit to which the Mosaic history is entitled. 

But, after all the facts and evidences which have been 
adduced in support of the event which Moses has record- 
ed, of an universal deluge, which destroyed the old world, 
we are urged, by the boasting disciples of reason, to shut 
our eyes against all these formidable evidences of truth^ 
and attribute the whole narrative to the craft of a designing 
priesthood, and the credulity of a world of superstitious, 
weak and deceived enthusiasts ! And suppose we were to 
make the attempt ; how should we reconcile the absurdity 
of supposing that the most distant ages and nations ; of 
the most opposite opinions and religions ; as well as pur- 
suits and manners ; should all agree without the least mo- 
tive, or previous concert, to bear a united testimony to the 
same subject, for which no adequate foundation, reason or 
evidence was afforded ? And further, we beg leave to 
ask them, in our turn ; if the account which the bible fur- 
nishes of the deluge be not true, how will they, or how 
can they account for the existence of such an ample and 
universal testimony of the fact, as has bid defiance to the 
hand of time to erase, and all the arts of skepticism to 
evade ? In closing this Lecture, I feel constrained to 
ask you, my hearers, what evidence have those, who 
would persuade you to reject the evidences of revelation, 
offered to convince you that the history of Moses, which 
records this tremendous event, is not true ? Have they, 
or can they produce a single particle of proof, that the tes- 
timony of Moses is false ? They dare not attempt to offer 
you evidence ; for they know that the attempt would be 
fraught with nothing but insolence, and the most glaring 
abuse of your understandings. They may, indeed, scoff; 
they may ridicule the most solemn truths of revelation ; 
but her solid foundations they can never remove, or even, 
for an hour, shake ! 

The Saviour of the world, not only accredited, but quo- 
ted the testimony of Moses, concerning the deluge, to en- 
force the solemn conviction of a tremendous judgment 
.which hung over the polluted nation of the Jews. And 



BIVINE REVELATION. 69 

1 may add ; an inspired apostle of our Lord, has admonish- 
ed us, that this signal display of the righteous judgment of 
God, is a prelude to that awful catastrophe when the globe 
shall be wrapped in liquid fire, the elements be made to 
commingle by fervent heat, all human prospects be con- 
sumed, a just retribution be administered to every man, 
according to his works, and the end of the Messiah's reign 
be accomplished, in subduing all things to his government 
and kingdom. 



liECTURE VI. 



St. Luke xvii. 27. 
** Tliey did eat, they drank, they iiiai-ried wives, they were given- 
m marrias^e, until the day that Noe eatered into the ark : and the 
flood came and destroyed them all." 

In commencing the subject of labor for this evening, I 
feel it important to notice a popular and prevailing objec- 
tion to the doctrine of a general deluge, which was the 
burden of our last Lecture. 

It is indeed acknowledged, that marine substances, both 
animal and vegetable, are scattered over the whole face of 
the globe, in such abundance, that to deny the fact of its 
having been at one time, or at different times, or by parts, 
successively overflowed with water, would betray an un- 
pardonable ignorance of the surface of the globe, or a 
disgraceful indifference to the instruction which history 
has furnished to every enlightened and civilized nation, 
from the remotest records of antiquity. It is therefore 
admitted by the opposers of the Bible, that partial inun- 
dations of the earth have happened at different periods, 
and in almost every part of the globe : But still they deny 
the fact of a general, or universal deluge, because, as 
they contend, there is not a sufficient quantity of water 
attached to our orb, to produce such an overflow as de- 
scribed in the history by Moses. 

If this assertion be true, they are indeed somewhat ex- 
cusable for their unbelief : for natural impossibilities are 
never to be admitted, except where the evidence of the 
immediate and miraculous power of God, amounts to ab- 
solute demonstration of the fact proposed : We must 
therefore inquire whether there is, or is not^ a sufficient 
quantity of water attached to our globe, to produce the 
deluge for which we have contended. I am aware, that I 
might safely refer you to the divine agency, for a cause^ 



DIVINE REVELATION. 71 

adequate to produce all those results which are recorded 
of the deluge ; nor would your speaker for a moment in- 
dulge a doubt that it was produced by divine agency : 
But when such causes can be found within the sphere of 
human observation as will be sufficient to obviate every 
objection which modern philosophers can urge, I feel 
bound to make an appeal to matter of plain fact, the more 
effectually to silence the most plausible cavils ol unbelief 

The plainest principles of mathematical science may be 
applied to the case before us. A cube of water of the di- 
mensions of only ten miles, will cover a perfectly plain sur- 
face of the earth, containing two hundred and fifty square 
miles, to the depth of four miles ; and if we make suitable 
allowance for ail the mountains and hills which it may 
contain, it would undoubtedly cover a much greater sur- 
face. When, therefore, we attempt to calculate the quan- 
tity of water which is necessary to deluge the globe, we 
should make great allowance for the vast number of moun- 
tains and hills, with w^hich the globe abounds ; for these 
would render so large a body of water as the ordinary cal- 
culation supposes, to a certain extent, unnecessary. 

But to give our opposers all the latitude which they can 
demand, we will proceed without this deduction for the 
mountains and hills. By the latest computations, the sur- 
face of the earth is supposed to contain 199,512,595 
square miles. Now to overflow this^surface to the depth 
of four miles, which is something more than the altitude 
:of the highest mountains, it would require a parallelopepid 
of water, sixteen miles in depth, and a surface containing 
49,878,148 square miles. In this computation, we only 
require a body of water sixteen miles deep, and whose 
surface shall be less than one fourth of the surface of the 
earth, to accomplish all that Moses has recorded, so far as 
the depth of water is concerned, in the overthrow of 
the world. And can any man believe, when he surveys 
the map of the w^orld, that the immense seas which there 
meet his eye, do not contain a much greater surface than 
this plain computation requires ? — The truth, that the vast 
oceans which diversify the face of the globe, contain afar 
greater quantity of water than was required to accomplish 
the deluge, is so clear and rational, that I am astonished 



72 DEFENCE OF 

that men of reason and reiiection should ever be led to 
doubt the fact. 

We will now lay aside the consideration of the oceans, 
and forbear to appeal to the hypothesis of immense and 
deep caverns contained in the bowels of the earth, and 
pass to indulge a. few thoughts upon the quantity of water 
which is required to moisten the solid parts of the globe. 

That the earth is quite moist at the greatest depths to 
which it has ever been explored, is a fact universally known 
and acknowledged : Nor have we any solid reason to sup- 
pose that it is not equally moist, even to its very centre. — 
Now let us observe the immense thickness of the earth ; 
suppose it to be nearly 8,000 miles in diameter ; the quan- 
tity of water which it would require to supply it with the 
same, or an equal degree of moisture with those parts which 
have been explored, would be abundantly greater than all 
the waters of the flood ! — Nay, this resource alone would 
more than sufficient to flood the whole earth and raise 
the ocean more than four miles above its present level ! 

Perhaps some of my hearers will be surprised at this 
computation ; but let them soberly examine the facts, and 
they will see that it falls immensely short of the quantity 
of vv-ater contained in the earth. Let them listen with 
candor to the ingenious Editor of the Encyclopedia, and 
then decide upon the fact. '' To make all reasonable al- 
lowances, however (says he) we shall^uppose the whole sol- 
id matter of the globe to be only equal to a cube of 5,000 
miles ; and even on this supposition we shall find, that all 
the waters of the deluge would not be half sufficient to 
moisten it." 

Let us now proceed to a mathematical demonstration of 
this fact. — We will suppose, on the smallest computation, 
that the solid matter of the earth is a cube of 5,000 miles : 
This solid body would make the round sum of hventy^ 
jive thousand millions of cubic miles. — Take then the body 
of water which we have before described, as sufficient to 
overflowthe globe, to the full extent of the Mosaic account ; 
I mean the body of water, sixteen miles in depth, and 
49,878,148 square miles of surface, and reduce it to cubic 
miles, and the whole sum will amount to 798,050,368 cu- 
bic mil€s of fluid ; — which would be about equal to one 
pound of water, to one hundred and fifty times its bulk of 



DIVINE REVELATION. 73 

dry earth ! — This small proportion of water would scarce^ 
]y moisten the earth to a degree which would render it 
perceptible to a careful observer : aud it cannot but strike 
your minds with great force, that the ordinary moisture of 
the earth, exceeds this proportion by more than one /iim- 
dred per cent. 

We have now reduced the fact to a mathematical de- 
monstration, that there is abundantly more water taken 
Up by the solid contents of the earth, than would be suf- 
ficient to produce the flood, whose history has been re- 
corded by Moses ; after making all reasonable allowances 
for the quantities of primitive rocks, which are justly sup- 
posed to contain but a small portion of fluid. And we 
have seen, that independent of the ocean and the air, 
such an event as he describes might have been produced, 
provided any means can be discovered in nature, by which 
it could be brought about. But while I attempt to reason 
upon this subject, on philosophical principles, I beg you, 
my hearers, not to indulge the thought, that I admit, for 
a moment, the absence of a divine and all-powerful agen- 
cy, in bringing about this tremendous event, by which an 
ungodly world was overthrown. For all the povv^ers pf 
nature are but the quiescent instruments of divine wis- 
dom, roused into action by his sovereign command, and 
his unerring will. The author of nature must surely con- 
trol and direct all its astonishing powers, and overrule 
all its vast operations, in a manner perfectly subservient 
to the infinite designs of his wisdom and goodness. 

We may now inquire, and let us do it in the candid and 
sober exercise of all our reasoning powers ; are there any 
natural agents by which the astonishing effect of the de- 
luge could be produced ? if this question can be fairly an- 
swered in the affirmative, without doing violence to the 
laws of nature, the objections of skeptical philosophers 
will be silenced, upon the very principles by which they 
profess to be governed in all their decisions. 

My remarks upon the quantity of water contained in 
the earth, will enable the curious, inquisitive mind, to 
avail himself of such actual experiments as will satisfy 
him of the quantities of that fluid which are required to 
saturate any given quantity of the ground on which he 



74 DEFEXCE OF 

treads ; if he will first employ the means of bringing it to 
a state, possessing the least degree of fluidity, which may 
come within the means at his command : And he may 
thus arrive at an experimental knowledge of the possibiU 
itif of a general deluge, w^ithout renouncing a single fun- 
damental principle which philosophy has laid down. 

In accounting for the immediate and physical causes of 
the deluge, I shall not \vander from the plain dictates of 
revelation and philosophy : — For I consider them in per- 
fect harmony, so far as philosophy is capable of extendmg 
her discoveries. I shall not, therefore, be under the ne- 
cessity of departing from the plain and simple narrative 
which Moses gives of the causes of that tremendous event 
to the world. 

According to his representation, it was not from the 
moisture diffused through the earth, only ; nor from the 
vast caverns of the abyss alone ; nor exclusively from the 
inconceivable magazines of that element suspended in the 
atmosphere ; that the astonishing effect which he de- 
scribes was produced. But he tells us that " the windows 
of heaven were opened, and the fountains of the great 
deep were broken up." 

This language contains a sublime description of the 
means by which the universal deluge was produced : Nor 
have deep reflecting Theists and philosophers ever been 
at a loss to understand its import. For the language 
which he employs, clearly conveys the sentiment, that the 
waters of the flood, were not only liberated from the at- 
mosphere, but were also derived from the bowels of the 
earth. 

By (he expression, ^^ the w^indows of heaven were open- 
ed," it is plainly signified, that the waters, which were 
held in suspension in atmospheric air, were discharged 
upon the earth : Not, indeed, instantaneously, for the his- 
torian informs us that it rained forty days and forty nights: 
And by the phrase, '' the fountains of the great deep were 
broken up," has been understood the forcing or issuing 
out of vast quantities of water from the secret recesses of 
the earth, where it had remained before in undisturbed 
repose. 

One and the same cause will rationally account for the 



biviNE hevelatiox. 7S 

double effect here described : And it is a cause to which 
we may appeal with confidence, since its effects are now 
generally known and acknowledged throughout the en- 
lightened and civilized world. It is not, indeed, as some 
have imagined, that the air was so charged with water, 
that it could no longer be held in suspension, but, by rea- 
son of its specific gravity, was precipitated to the earth : 
For it is not to be supposed that all the aqueous particles 
which the atmosphere ever contained at any one period, 
could be sufficient to raise the water so as to overflow the 
mountains, or that they would be likely to produce a much 
greater effect than merely to overflow the io\\; grounds, 
were it all discharged upon the earth at one and the same 
lime. 

It has been clearly proved by experiments with the ba- 
rometer, that during a long drought in summer, the mer- 
cury will be found to range at about thirty inches. Such 
being its mean height at the commencement of the 
drought, it would be natural to expect that it would con- 
stantly continue to rise, as the atmos{)here continued to 
receive immense exhalations of water from the surface of 
the globe. But this is not the case ; for the mercury 
continues nearly stationary until about the close of the 
drought ; and when the air contains the whole quantity of 
water which it has been for a long time absorbing, it sud-* 
denly becomes lighter, and the mercury is seen to sink 
about one inch, before any rain begins to fall. And what 
must appear still more surprising, is, that after the wa- 
ter, which is 800 times heavier than the atmosphere, has 
been profusely discharged for several days in succession, 
and t4ie face of nature has been drenched with rain, the 
atmosphere becomes heavier, and the mercury immediate- 
ly rises; which proves that the driest atmosphere is the 
heaviest, if it be not heated to any great extent. I have 
appealed to these facts, for two reasons, Jirst^ to show 
that it is impossible to calculate with any probability of 
correctness, what quantities of water are contained in the 
air, by any experiments to ascertain the extent of atmo- 
spheric pressure ; and secondly, to demonstrate with clear- 
ness, that there is an agent in nature which effectually 
counteracts the gravity of water, which otherwise could 



t6 



DEFENCE OF 



not be suspended in the air, but must instantly be pre^ 
cipijated to the earth by the force of its own gravity. — 
To this agent we shall appeal, as the instrument by which 
the general deluge might have been produced. 

As we have before hinted, we shall adopt the language 
of Moses, in its plain and obvious sense, which asserts that 
^^the windows of heaven were opened, and the fountains 
of the great deep were broken up." By opening the ivin- 
dotes of heaven, we have already remarked, was obviously 
inle-nded, the liberating and pouring out of the waters 
which were held suspended in the atmosphere ; and the 
breaking 7'P of ike fountains of the great deep, we have been 
led to conclude was the opening of all those passages 
through which the subterranean waters might find their 
way to the surface of the globe. Now as both these sour- 
ces are said to have been opened in producing the deluge, 
it is by no means unreasonable to suppose that the same 
natural agent was employed to produce the whole effect 
which Moses has described, both upon the air and the 
earth. 

The agent of which we are speaking is of modern dis- 
covery, though its existence is as ancient as the creation 
of the world : for it cannot be supposed that so important 
an agent as electricity^ was overlooked by the Deity, in 
bringing into existence the constitution of nature. 

^' It is certain, [says the editor of the Encyclopedia,) that 
by means of it, immense quantities of water can be raised 
to a great height in the air. This is proved by the phe- 
nomena of water-spouts. Mr Foster relates, that he hap- 
pened to see one break very near him, and observed a flash 
of lightning proceed from it at the moment of its breaking,, 
The conclusion from this is obvious. When the electrid 
matter was discharged from the water, it could no longei 
be supported by the atmosphere, but immediately fell down^ 

Though water-spouts do not often appear in this counf 
try, yet every one must have made an observation some-^ 
what similar to Mr. Foster's. In a violent storm of thun- 
der and rain, after every flash of lightning or discharge of 
electricity from the clouds, the rain pours down with in- 
creased violence : thus showing, that the cloud, having 
parted with so much of its electricity, cannot longer be 



DIVINE REVELATION. 77 

supported in the form of vapour, but must descend in rain. 
It is certain, {for it has been proved by experiments ,) that 
evaporation is promoted by electrifying the fluid to be 
evaporated." The theory, therefore, deduced from these 
plain and undeniable facts, '' that the electric fluid contain- 
ed in the air is the agent by which it is enabled to suspend 
the water which rises in vapour," will not be rejected as 
a groundless chimera, nor pronounced an impossibility, by 
men of reflection and science. 

" Again, (says this ^ame author^) we are assured from 
the most undeniable observations, that electricity is able to 
swell up water on the surface of the earth. This we can 
make it do even in our trifling experiments ; and much 
more must the whole force of the fluid be supposed capa- 
ble of doing it, if applied to the ocean, or any other large 
t)odies of water. The agitation of the sea in earthquakes 
is suflicient proof of this. It is certain, that at these times 
there is a discharge of a vast quantity of electric matter 
from the earth into the air ; and as soon as this happens, 
all becomes quiet on the surface of the earth." 

From the facts which have now been stated, it must 
clearly follow, that whenever the atmosphere is deprived 
of a due proportion of the electric fluid, rain will, of 
course, fall in prodigious quantities. 

A multitude of observations have long since rendered 
it apparent, that there is a constant passage of electric 
matter from the air into the earth, and from the earth into 
the air. We will now apply this theory to the Mosaic 
history of the flood, in the language of the ingenious au- 
thor before quoted. 

" There is therefore no absurdity in supposing the De- 
ity to have influenced the action of the natural powers in 
such a manner that for forty days and nights the electric 
matter contained in the atmosphere should descend into 
the bowels of the earth.— But by whatever cause the de- 
scent was occasioned, the consequence would be, the 
breaking up of ihe fountains of the deep, and the opening of 
the windows of heaven. The water contained in the atmos- 
phere being left without support, would descend in impet- 
uous rains ; while the waters of the ocean, those from 
which fountains originate, and those contained in the solid 
8 



78 I3EFENCI; or 

earth itself, would rise from the very centre, and meet the 
waters that descended from above. Thus the breaking 
up of the fountains of the deep, and the opening the win- 
dows of heaven, would accompany each other, as Moses 
tells us they did ; for, according to him, both happened 
on the same day." 

By the cause which is here assigned, it is easy to see, 
that the flood would come on and advance gradually, with- 
out that violence to the globe v^hich the admission of other 
theories must involve. And it is equally easy to discover, 
that an abatement of the waters would be the natural con- 
sequence of a return of the electric fluid to the atmosphere, 
which would enable it again to absorb its original quantity 
of water. And the discharge of the electric fluid from the 
deep recesses of the globe, would again give place for the 
return of its original waters, and the flood would be stayed 
and removed from the face of the earth, and nature would 
resume its pristine appearance. 

I have now attended to the principal, and indeed, to the 
only objection, of any force, that has ever been urged 
against the fact of a general deluge ; and' shown that the 
only important reason which skeptics urge to justify their 
unbelief, is totally destitute of any foundation in truth : 
For the quantity of water has been shown to be abundant- 
ly more than suflScient to deluge the globe to a rnuch 
greater depth than the history of Moses has described. 
Having before proved by the united and universal voice of 
history and tradition, besides the undeniable indications of 
such an event, scattered throughout the globe, the validity 
of the sacred history ; I iriust again appeal to your rea- 
son, and demand — What evidence have unbelievers pro- 
duced to disprove this faithful record of the flood ? Carl 
they appeal to the voice of history — to the voice of tradi- 
tion, or to the undeniable evidences of nature ? No — they 
will never make the attempt, for they know it would be 
hopeless. They may indeed, scofl^ at religion ; deny the 
truth of holy writ, and dispose of the whole in gross ; 
curse its authors, and anathematize the ministers of relig- 
ion — nay, even exhaust upon them the ebullitions of un- 
manly invective : But they will never offer you an equiv- 



DIYIN^E REVELATION. 79 

alent for the sacrifice which they demand — a surrender of 
your religious hopes. 

In closing, I must beg your indulgence, while I pay a 
passing tribute of attention to a popular acknowledgment 
of modern skeptics, which admits that the earth has been 
partially inundated at different periods. To this acknowl- 
edgment they are driven by the undeniable evidence of 
marine substances^ deposited throughout ewery continent 
of the globe. 

But we deny the fact of such partial inundations ; they 
are altogether inadmissible ; because it is impossible that 
any considerable body of water should remain upon a sin- 
gle continent, since from its specific gravity, it must be im- 
mediately discharged into the ocean. The advocates of 
such a theory, must therefore resort to a greater miracle 
than revelation records, respecting the general deluge : 
for they must raise the oceans which enclose such a con- 
tinent, several miles above their common level, to prevent 
the water from retiring on a sudden from the land ! Nor 
is this the only difficulty attending a partial deluge ; for 
the oceans, when thus raised, must equally overflow the 
whole globe ! The very fact which they deny and ridi- 
cule. Thus, my hearers, you see, that the theory of par- 
tial inundations, becomes at once impossible, ridiculous, 
and absurd. 

Unbelievers have offered other objections to the deluge, 
but they are too unimportant to justify me in detaining 
you with their recital or their refutation. The main ar^ 
guments upon this subject are before you ; weigh them in 
the even balance of reason^ and judge for yourselve>s. 



liECTURE VII. 



II, Peter ii. 6. 
*« And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, corh 
demned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto 
those that after should live ungodly/^ 

In this chapter, the apostle very justly concludes, that 
as there were " false prophets among the people," in an- 
cient times, so there would, of course, arise among them, 
false teachers ; bringing in heresies of the most dangerous 
tendency ; even ^' denying the Lord that bought them ;'' 
and assures us that they would bring swift destruction upon 
themselves : Nay, more, that by their seductions, many 
would be led to abandon the paths of true wisdom, and 
that through their influence 'Mhe way of truth i^?or«/d! be 
evil spoken of,^" or be treated with that contempt which is 
the just desert of imposture. And my Brethren, if we 
carefully survey the records of all ages since the first 
promulgation of the gospel of Christ, we shall see that the 
prediction of the apostle has been verified, even to the 
letter. Nor need we appeal to the history of former ages 
for the fulfilment of his prophecy ; for examples daily pre- 
sent themselves, of a character too plain and forcible to 
leave any doubts of its truth upon the mind. 

From the language of our text, the evidence is undeni- 
able, that at a period as late as the apostolic age, the sto- 
ry of the fearful and astonishing overthrow of Sodom and 
the cities of the plain, was currently believed and appealed 
to with confidence by the writers of the new Testament, 
as a fact of undisputed authority. Nor are we informed 
that the fact referred to by our text, was called in question 
by any of the profane writers, so late as the period in 
which the New Testament was written. 

By the Mosiac history, we are informed that it became 
necessary for Abraham and his nephew, Lot, to separate. 



DIVINE REVELATION. 81 

as their flocks and herdsmen became numerous, and trou- 
blesome to each other : And the latter, it appears, chose 
to take up his residence in the vale of Siddim, and there- 
fore located himself among the Sodomites. From the his- 
tory of these people, it is obvious that they exceeded, in the 
practices of obscenity and wickedness, the inhabitants of 
all the neighbouring countries. But whether the prac- 
tices to which we allude, were introduced before his resi- 
dence among them, or were afterwards adopted, we are 
furnished with no intelligence, either sacred or profane. 

The writers of the Old and New Testaments, however, 
unite in representing the overthrow of Sodom, and the 
cities of the plain, as one of the most signal displays of 
divine judgment, for the wickedness of man, that has ever 
been recorded of any portion of the globe. And they 
hold up this fearful catastrophe as a warning to all such as 
venture to abuse the forbearance of Heaven, to riot amidst 
the scenes of dissipation, or to violate and abuse the obvi- 
ous dictates of nature, reason, and the law of God 

This view of their destruction, is the probable reason 
why unbelievers have sought to cavil at the historian, 
in some instances, and in others, to reject the whole nar- 
rative, as the invention of imposture and craft : For it is 
apparent that they are unwilling to admit that the Deity 
takes cognizance of human affairs in such a way as to 
become the direct dispenser of reward and punishment to 
mankind, since such an acknowledgment would lead to 
the unavoidable conclusion, that all the judgments of God 
recorded in the scriptures, are worthy of confidence and 
serious regard. 

That such cities as Sodom and Gomorrah, once existed 
on the borders of the country of Palestine, no historian 
either ancient or modern, has ever presumed to deny : 
Nor is this fact denied by any man of reading and in- 
telligence at the present day. Historians, both sacred 
and profane, admit that these were once populous and 
flourishing cities, and that they suffered a complete or en- 
tire destruction by fire. 

According to scripture chronology, these famous cities 
were destroyed about nineteen hundred years before the 
birth of Christy and have ever since remained a monu- 
8# 



B2 DEFENCE OF 

ment of that desolation which sin has occasioned in the 
world, it appears that these cities were situated in a 
beautiful and fertile plain, one hundred eighty miles in cir- 
cumference, bounded on the east by lofty mountains, 
arid on the north by the plain of Jericho. 

After its destruction by fire, it formed the bed of what 
is now called the " dead sea^''^ or lake Asphaltiies^ and re- 
ceives the waters of the River Jordan, besides several 
smaller streams ; though no outlet has ever been discov- 
ered, by which it communicates with the Mediterranean 
sea. 

With the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Zeboim and 
Admah, shared the same fate and were ingulphed in the 
same general ruin : probably because they were cor- 
rupted with the same abominations and given up to the 
same obscene and brutal practices. 

The prediction of one of the prophets of God, [Jeremi- 
ah^) who was born more than six hundred years before 
Christ, stands forth as an indisputable monument of divine 
inspiration, since his prediction may still be seen fulfilling, 
through all the intervening ages, from a period of more 
than '2000 years to the present day. For when speaking 
of the desolation of Edom, he compares it to the overthrowl 
of Sodom and Gomorrah ; saying, ^' As in the overthrowf 
of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring cities there- 
of, saith the Lord, no man shall abide there, neither shallf 
a son of man dwell in it." Jer. xlviii. 18. 

No changes, however great, which may be supposed to 
have taken place in other parts of the globe, was to reach 
the seat of this desolation, until the period of the final ren- 
ovation of the earth, by an event equally sublime and ter-^ 
rible with that of the flood. And it is obvious, from the 
most authentic historians, that no human being has ever 
dwelt in the place of these devoted cities, for the space of 
3700 years ! 

Moses, in denouncing the punishments that should de- 
scend upon the land of Israel for their rebellion, compares 
it I o the land of " Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboim and Ad- 
mah ;" a land of " brimstone and salt, and burning, that 
is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, 
which the Lord overthrew in his anger and in his wrath.'^ 
Deut. xxix. 23. 



B I VINE REVELATION. 83 

This language clearly shows that in the days of Moses, 
more than 300 years after the destruction of these cities,. 
they were well known to the nation of the Jews, and were 
appealed to with confidence, as evidences of the divine 
displeasure against sin : And I may here be allowed to 
ask; if their sudden and astonishing overthrow had not 
then been a fact of universal notoriety, of what possible 
use could it have been for Moses to remind the Israelites 
of such an event ? It certainly could add nothing, but 
must, unless the fact had been well attested, have detract- 
ed from the authority of his precepts, and brought the di- 
vine inspiration which he claimed, not only into disrepute^ 
but into ridicule and contempt. No reasonable man can 
suppose that any person of common discernment would 
have recourse, or appeal to a ridiculous fable for the pur- 
pose of strengthening his authority, unless he was a base 
impostor, and believed that the people whom he wished to 
govern were a nation of stupid, insensible beings ! Much 
less a wise and virtuous lawgiver, whose divine inspiration 
and authority had been severely tested, and proved by as- 
tonishing miracles. 

That the account which Moses gave more than 3000 
years ago, of this land of brimstone and salt and burning^ 
was substantially true, is clearly proved by Yolney, a 
French philosopher of the last century ; and whose testi- 
mony will doubtless be well received by modern skeptics, 
since he had the credit of being a file leader of their par- 
ty. He asserts that this famous lake " contains neither 
animal nor vegetable life. We see no verdure on its 
banks, nor a fish to be found in its waters.'^ But he adds, 
that it is not true that its exhalations are pestiferous, so 
as to destroy birds flying over it. " It is very common 
(says he) to see swallows skimming its surface, and dip- 
ping for the water necessary to build their nests. The 
real cause which depriy^es it of vegetables and animals, is 
the extreme saltness of the water, which is infinitely 
stronger than that of the sea. The soil around it, equally 
impregnated with this salt, produces no plants ; and the 
air itself, which becomes loaded with it from evaporation, 
and which receives also the sulphureous and bituminous 
vapours, cannot be favorable to vegetation : Hence the 



84 DEFEXCE OF 

deadly aspect which reigns around this lake. In other 
respects, the ground about it, however, is not marshy ; 
and its waters are limpid and incorruptible, as must be the 
case with a dissolution of salt." He informs us that on 
the shore of this lake, were found, *' fragments of sulphur 
and bitumen, which the Arabs convert into a trifling ar- 
ticle of commerce ; as also hot fountains and deep crevi- 
ces, which are discovered at a distance by little pyramids 
built on the brink of them. We likewise find a sort of 
stone, which, on rubbing, emits a noxious smell, burns 
like bitumen, receives a polish like white alabaster, and is 
used for the paving of court -yaids. At intervals, we also 
meet with unshapen blocks, which prejudiced eyes mis- 
take for mutilated statues, and which pass with ignorant 
and superstitious pilgrims for monuments of the adven- 
ture of Lot's wife : though it is no where said that she 
was metamorphosed into stone, like Niobe, but into salt, 
which must have melted the ensuing winter." 

This attentive audience will not fail to notice the strik- 
ing similarity of the description which Yolney here gives,] 
of the deadly appearance of this lake and its borders, em-1 
bracing the salt, the sulphur^ the bifumen, and the subter- 
ranean fire, and that which Moses gave of the samel 
place, at a period 3000 years distant from the date of this] 
writer. So that this particular part of the Mosaic history 
is not only supported, but the prediction of its future de- 
solation and barrenness is clearly confirmed by an rinbe- 
liever and de^piser of revelation, v/ho stood high for his 
learning and acuteness, in the ranks of deistical (or rath- 
er, atheistical) philosophy. 

His allusion to Lot's wife, and i\\e pillar of salt, deserve 
a passing notice. He tells us that if it were a pillar of 
salt, it " must have melted the ensuing winter." All this 
may be admitted, without invalidating a syllable of the 
Mosaic account, for he makes no mention of the length 
of time which this monument continued. Mr. Volney 
might have spared himself the trouble, therefore, of as- 
signing* a reason for its early removal. But, let us ob- 
serve—Mr. Yolney appears to have been acquainted with 
the Hebrew, and other original languages, and therefore 
could not have been ignorant of the true meaning and 



DIVINE REVELATION. 85 

proper application of the word which Moses employed to 
designate the change which constituted Lot's wife a mon- 
umental reproof of unbelief and disobedience. We would 
willingly excuse this writer from an intention to trifle with 
the necessary want of information among thf^ most nume- 
rous class of his readers, (who, of course, must be unac- 
quainted with the Hebrew,) if we were in possession of 
any means to accomplish the object, without violating the 
dictates of reason and conscience ; but this we shall not 
presume to do ; for he must have known, that from time 
immemorial, the Hebrews have ranked sulphur^ nitre and 
bitumen^ under the general name of salt. Had he have 
stated this fact, his readers might readily have formed the 
conclusion that a monument composed of sulphur, nitre 
and bitumen, v/ould naturally resist, for a considerable 
time, the power of the seasons, to bring on, and finally to 
accomplish its entire destruction. This would allow of an 
opportunity for multitudes to visit the scene of desolation^ 
and to make accurate observations on what they there be- 
held. 

The history of the overthrow of these cities might have 
been given by Moses, without the mention of the fate of 
Lot's wife ; and it would therefore be strange that Moses 
should mention such an astonishing circumstance, unless 
it were a notorious fact ; since he must have seen that 
any serious and well-founded doubts of this part of his nar- 
rative, would tend directly to cast suspicion on the whole 
history. I am therefore constrained to believe that this 
pillar remained for ages ; and that it was seen and ac- 
knowledged by multitudes. 

While we are upon the story of Lot's wife, it may not 
be improper to mention an heathen form of exorcism, pre- 
served by Alexander Trallianus, a philosopher and phy- 
sician of the sixth century ; which he gives in the follow- 
ing words, " In the name of God, who turned Lot's wife 
into a pillar of salt." Here you find heathens, confirm* 
ing, by their rites, the plain and simple fact recorded by 
Moses. 

I shall add to these the declaration of Christ, who tells 
his disciples, St Luke xvii. 29. that " the same day that 
Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from 



86 DEFENCE OF 

heaven, and destroyed them all." This fact, he employs 
in his charge to his disciples, to leave Jerusalem as soon 
as they should see the signs fulfilled which were to pre- 
cede the destruction of that ill-fated city : and to render 
the admonition still more impressive, he adds, verse 32, 
^^ Remember Lot's wife." To discredit the story of Lot's 
wife, we are not only under the necessity of setting aside 
the testimony of Moses, the uniform belief of the Jewish 
nation for more than 3000 years, with the addition of the 
evidence drawn from heathen rites ; but we must directly 
confront the divine authority and truth of the Son of God ! 

Such evidence of the fact concerning Lot's wife as I 
have been able to select with convenience, is now before 
you : And is there any evidence to disprove the fact ? It 
will not be pretended by any man who values his reputa- 
tion for historical knowledge It is therefore left for you 
to decide whether you will reject this testimony, array 
yourselves against the Redeemer of the world, believe the 
whole history false, without a particle of testimony to sup- 
port your reason in so doing ; and what is still more ab- 
surd, to believe against all the evidence which has ever 
been adduced in support of the fact. 

If I were disposed to gratify the inquisitive hearer, as 
to the means by which this strange effect was produced 
upon Lot's wife, I confess that I should feel inclined to 
offer them the ingenious solution of Dr. Taylor ; who sup- 
poses that ^' the sulphureous storm did not begin to fall 
upon Sodom, till Lot was safely arrived at Zoar. But his 
wife looked back before she reached Zoar : When she 
looked back, Sodom and its plains appeared as pleasant 
as before. She looked back with affection to the place, 
and regret at leaving it ; according to the import of the 
original word : This implied unbelief She stopped by 
the way, and left her husband to go by himself — she would 
go no farther, and might be at a considerable distance 
from Zoar^ and so near to Sodom, as to be involved in the 
terrible shower, and thereby turned into a nitro-sulphure- 
ous pillar." 

I would not, however, adopt any conjecture, which 
would imply a doubt of the miraculous power of God ; for 
no supposition aside from the divine interposition can ac- 
count for this wonderful event. 



DIVINE REVELATIOxN". 8? 

I have passed by the testimony of Josephus, who de^ 
dares that this pillar was standing in his day, and that he 
had seen it ; as well as the marvellous and incredible sto- 
ries, given by numerous others : lor I would not wander 
into the region of fables for the sake of amusement. I shall 
therefore return to our general subject ; the destruction 
of Sodom, and the cities of the plain. 

The account with which we are furnished in the Bible^ 
informs us that the Lord rained upon thrm,^7'e and brim- 
stone ; or hrmuic7ie injlamed : which, according to some 
able critics, " signifies, in the Hebrew style of writing, 
nothing more nor less than lightning." Admit this in- 
terpretation, and the conclusion will iollow, that the light- 
nings of heaven were let loose, and directed to this fatal 
spot, to accomplish its destruction. 1 bat the bed ofthese 
cities was bitumen ; composed principally of sulphur and 
mineral pitchy is a truth, fully supported by all historians 
and travellers of distinction, who have written upon the 
subject. The direct inference would therefore be, that 
the lightnings of heaven communicated fire to this com- 
bustible and inflammable substance, and not only destroy- 
ed the buildings and the inhabitants, but literally burnt up 
the foundation on which they rested, and gave place to 
the waters of the lake Asphaltites, so famous in the histo-^ 
ry of antique ruins. 

Some have supposed that a volcanic eruption took place 
at that time, by which a great quantity of inflamed bitum- 
inous matter was thrown into the air, and fell in a shower 
of fire upon these cities and destroyed them: but this would 
not account for the sinking ofthese places, unless we add 
, the probability of an earthqual e, of which no mention is 
made in the narrative of Moses. 

It is in vain to wander into the region of conjecture, to 
find a solution for the numerous inquiries w'hich may be 
started by inquisitive minds ; it is sufficient for our pre- 
sent design to show that abundant testimony is furnished 
to establish the fact, that these cities were destroyed by 
fire, and that this destruction was of a character dissimilar 
to all others. Nothing of the kind, recorded by historians, 
challenges competition with the destruction ofthese cities. 
Pompei and Herculaneum, in Italy, were indeed covered 



88 DEFENCE OF 

by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, 79 years after the 
birth of Christ ; but they still remain as far above the 
level of the sea as before, and are again capable of being 
inhabited. But Sodom and the cities of the plain, have 
suffered an entire destruction, so that nothing but a mir- 
acle could ever restore them. 

It was observed by Justin, that the lake of Sodom was 
unmoved by the winds, by reason of the quantities of bit- 
umen which rose from its bed, and which impeded its na- 
vigation. The Arabs and others, have always removed 
this mineral pitch, as it rose, so that there is now very lit- 
tle to be seen. 

Tacitus the Roman historian observes that the traces of 
fire which consumed these cities were visible in his day ; 
These are his words, ^^at no great distance are those 
fields, which, as it is said, were formerly fruitful, and co- 
vered with great cities, till they were consumed by light- 
ning : the vestiges of which still remain in the parched 
appearance of the country, which has lost its fertility." 
The accounts which Pliny and Philo, furnish of these 
ruins, accord with that which we have quoted from Ta- 
citus. 

Diodorus Siculus, a Greek historian, who flourished 
about half a century before the birth of Christ, gives a 
general description of the desolations which reign around 
this devoted place. In closing his remarks, he says, ''The 
region round about, burning with fire, exhales a stench so 
intolerable, that the bodies of the inhabitants are diseased, 
and their lives contracted." 

Strabo, a Capadocian historian, who flourished in the 
reign of Tiberius, thus concludes his remarks upon this 
lake and the surrounding country : ''There are many in- 
dications that fire has been over this country : for about 
Masada they show rough and scorched rocks, and caverns 
in many places eaten in, and the earth reduced to ashes, 
and drops of pitch distilling from the rocks, and hot streams, 
offensive afar off, and habitations overthrown : which ren- 
ders credible some reports among the inhabitants, that 
there were formerly thirteen cities on that spot, the prin- 
cipal of which was Sodom ; so extensive as to be sixty 
furlongs in circumference ; but that by earthquakes, and 



DIVINE REVELATION. 



89 



4in eruption of fire, and by hot and bituminous waters, it 
became a lake as it now is ; the rocks were consumed, 
some of the cities were swallowed up, and others aban- 
doned by those of the inhabitants who were able to es- 
cape." 

Solinus, who flourished in the third century, informs his 
readers, that '' at a considerable distance from Jerusalem, 
-a frightful lake extends itself, which has been struck by 
lightning, as is evident from the ground, black , and re- 
duced to ashes." In a word ; besides Mr. Volney, whose 
testimony has before been quoted ; Moundrel, Dr. Po- 
cocke, Shaw, and other scientific gentlemen, who visited 
these ancient ruins, have given to the world the valuable 
result of their investigations, which go directly to confirm 
the statements of the sacred historian. Those who wish 
to peruse an interesting description of this singular lake, 
may be gratified by consulting Basselius, in his treatise on 
illustrious ruins. 

When the prophet Isaiah denounces the judgment of 
God against the city of Babylon, he appeals to the de- 
struction of Sodom and Gomorrah, as a fact well authenti- 
cated. Her fearful doom is announced in the following 
tremendous denunciation, '^ Babylon, the glory of king- 
doms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as 
when God overihreiv Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never 
be inhabited^ neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to 
generation : neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there, 
neither shall the shepherds make their fold there," Isa. 
xiii. 19, 20 The prophet Amos expressly mentions the 
overthrow of these cities as a judgment of God for their 
wickedness. Chap. iv. 1 1. Nearly all the prophetic writers 
of the old Testament, have alluded to this same event, and 
have thereby given evidence that the overthrow of these 
sinful cities was a fact well authenticated, and universally 
believed 

I cannot consent to dismiss this subject, without giving 
a moment's attention to the prophecy of Isaiah, which has 
already been quoted. He compares the desolation which 
should come upon Babylon, to that which reigned over 
the ancient seat of Sodom and Gomorrah, which God had 
destroyed and rendered uninhabitable forever, on account 
9 



90 DEFENCE OF, kc. 

of the enormity of their crimes.— And has not this solemn 
and extraordinary prophecy, which was uttered more than 
100 years before the Babylonish captivity, been literally 
fulfilled ? yes j for Babylon has been uninhabited for cen- 
turies, and all the immediate country is rendered a sunk- 
en, and unhealthy desolation ; and absolutely dangerous 
to the traveller, whose curiosity has prompted him to visit 
that once populous and flourishing region of the globe. — - 
And can any man, in the exercise of his sober reason, be- 
lieve that God would sanction a palpable untruth, by the 
inspiration of his wisdom ? It cannot be ; and yet this 
glaring absurdity is involved in the impious conclusion, 
that the cities of which we have been treating were not 
destroyed for their wickedness. 

If, therefore, we reject the Mosaic account of the mi- 
raculous destruction of these cities, we must not only dis- 
believe the history of this prophet ; but we must abandon, 
as impostors, all the prophets who have spoken of, or al- 
luded to this event ; treat the Son of God as a deceiver ! 
suppose the apostles to be knaves or dupes, and shut our 
eyes against the testimony of profane historians and all the 
interesting narratives of distinguished individuals, who have 
visited these ruins in modern ages — And now I ask you, 
my hearers, what authority is offered by modern skepticks 
to justify us, in case we comply with their wishes, in dis- 
believing the testimony which has been adduced } — Noth- 
ing, but their bare denial, their determined hostility, and 
their relentless satire ! They would have you believe that 
all these testimonies are false, without a particle of evi- 
dence to sustain the conclusion ! nay, they would even 
persuade you to believe their declarations, against all em- 
dence, both sacred and profane !— Beware then of decep- 
tion ; — listen to the admonitions of truth and be wise ; — 
'^ Prove all things, and hold fast that which is good." 



t 



I 



£,ECTUBE VIII. 



St. John v. 46, 47. 
" Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me : for he 
wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye be- 
lieve my words ?*' 

The circumstances which called forth the pointed ad- 
dress, of which our text is a part, are briefly narrated in 
the preceding context of this chapter ; where we are in- 
formed of the miracle by which the great Redeemer heal- 
ed a man of an infirmity which he had borne for the space 
of thirty -eight years. Against the benevolence of this act, 
the Jews could offer no complaint ; but the day on which 
the miracle was performed, was the subject of their griev- 
ance, and gave birth to their murmurings against the Son 
of God. They insisted that he must be an irreligious 
man, since they construed this display of his power and 
benevolence, on a day held by them in such veneration, 
into an irreverence and disregard for the institution of 
the Sabbath. 

Their superstitious zeal had so far blinded their reason, 
that they were betrayed into the absurd and ridiculous 
hypothesis, that it was " unlawful even to do good on the 
Sabbath day !" thereby arraying the law of God against 
the pure display of mercy and benevolence ! 

This blind fanatical zeal, with which they were infected, 
led them to persecute the Saviour, and to seek opportuni- 
ties to accomplish his destruction : But to place the evi- 
dence of his divine authority and doctrine in a plain and 
striking manner before them, Christ reminds them of the 
testimony of John the Baptist, who was a bright and burn- 
ing light, and in whom, for a time, they all rejoiced : for 
he had borne witness to the mission of Christ, and to the 
divine approbation which he had received from God. He 
also appealed to the works or miracles which he had per- 



B2 



DEFENCE or 



formed in the name of his Father ; and finally, to the fes- 
timony of Moses, in whom they professed to believe ; al- 
leging that this celebrated lawgiver had written of him. 
Hence he takes occasion to question the sincerity of their 
professions of confidence in what Moses had taught, and 
infers the evidence of their infidelity to their own pro- 
phet, from the fact of their rejecting him of whom that 
prophet had written : But he admonishes them, sayings 
^^ Bo not think that I will accuse you to the Father : there 
is 07ie that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. 
For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed 
me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his wri- 
tings, how shall ye believe my words ?" From this lan- 
guage it is evident that Christ sanctioned the divine au- 
thority of the Mosaic records. 

As there were, in the days of Christ, those who discred- 
ited the writings of Moses, even so, there are muUitudes 
at the present day, who reject his testimony and treat it 
with reproach. But at this enlightened age, it is, and 
ought to be, confidently expected, that in case his pro- 
phetic inspiration can be clearly and fully supported by an 
appeal to the authentic pages of history, his writings must 
and ought to be received and accredited as of divine au- 
thority. To accomplish this object, will be the design of 
the labors for this evening. 

I shall not trouble you, my hearers, with a long and 
useless prelude, nor trespass upon your sympathies by 
complaining of the arduous labor assigned me : for the 
task upon which I enter, though it must present to you 
the historical evidence of numerous scenes of suffering, 
the most severe and protracted of any which the annals of 
nations have>ecorded, yet it is a labor upon which I en- 
ter with cheerfulness, from a conviction of its importance 
to man's best hopes, which must stand or fall with the 
truth of prophetic inspiration I therefore solicit you to 
give the subject a candid and impartial hearing, and to 
weigh every argument and evidence which may be ad- 
duced, in the even balance of reason. 

In the discharge of this duty, I must call your attention 
to some of the most extraordinary prophecies of Moses, 
and briefly lay before you the history of their fulfilment. 



DIVINE REVELATION. 93 

The limits of a single discourse forbid that the selections 
from the writings of this prophet should be numerous ; 
and hence the necessity of embracing those, and those 
only, which are the most striking and important. 

The first prophetic passage of his writings which you 
are invited to consider, is recorded in Leviticus, xxvi. 33. 
" And I will scatter you among the heathen, and draw 
out a sword after you : and your land shall be desolate, 
and your cities waste." 

It is proper here to remind you that Moses had before 
instructed the children of Israel that they should enter in 
and possess the land of Canaan, and had also foretold the 
astonishing success and prosperity which should attend 
them : He had now, in the chapter which contains this 
singular prophecy, been describing to them the various 
blessings and advantages which should attend them and 
their posterity, in case they persevered in obedience to 
the divine commands : but upon their rebellion and wilful 
disobedience, numerous and severe punishments were to 
be visited upon them as a people, among which, that 
which is mentioned in the prophecy under consideratioHj 
holds a conspicuous place. 

In this passage, Moses tells his brethren that their land 
should be desolate, and their cities waste : But at the 
period of this annunciation, they possessed neither land 
nor cities. The language is therefore doubly prophetic : 
had they then failed to take possession of the promised 
land, the whole prophecy would not only have been re- 
garded as a base imposture, but the authority of his suc- 
cessor would probably have been challenged, and his per- 
son treated and despised as that of an unprincipled and 
ambitious usurper. — Moses was doubtless aware of this, 
and yet he betrays no symptoms of doubt or uncertainty as 
to the event ; but the most entire confidence that all which 
he had spoken would be fulfilled. The reason, my hear- 
ers, for this confidence, is plain and forcible ; he knew 
that what he uttered was by divine authority, and there- 
fore, could not fail of accomplishment. 

The first part of this prophecy, which related to their 
possession of the land and cities of Palestine, no man, 
who possesses any knowledge of Jewish, or universal his- 
9^^ 



94 DEFENCE OF 

tory, can entertain the least doubt, concerning its fullil"' 
ment : For the fact is rendered tot) obvious for denial, 
without an indiscriminate rejection of all historical evi-^ 
dence. The remaining part of this prophecy, which an- 
nounces that they should be scattered among the heathen^ 
and that a sivord, the emblem of oppressioiTand destruc- 
tion, should be drawn out against theniy remains yet to be 
considered. 

And can any attentive reader of history be ignorant of 
the fulfilment of this prediction ? Can any traveller upon 
the continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa, or even of 
America, for a moment, resist the evidence of his senses, 
in confirmation of this interesting fact, so long foretold ? 
From the days of Moses, during the period of 400 
years, in which that nation was governed by Judges, no 
less than six captivities befel them, and each attended 
with immense and cruel slaughter. 1. They were cap- 
tured by the Mesopotamians, and held in bondage eight 
years ; — 2. By the Moabites ; — ^3. By the Philistines j — 
4. By Jabin, king of Hazor ; — 5. By the Midianites ; — " 
6. By the Amonites and Philistines. All these captivities 
took place more than 1 1 00 years before the birth of Christ, 
After these, two captivities are mentioned of the house of 
Israel, which are worthy of particular notice ; since these 
captivities effectually scattered the ten tribes, 

Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, called by profane bis* 
torians, JVlniis Junior, took several cities, and carried away 
a multitudeof captives, principally from the tribes of Reu- 
ben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manassah : Concerning 
these, we have no account of their return. This captivity 
occurred about 750 years before the birth of Christ. 

About nineteen years after this, Salmanasar, another 
king of Assyria, invaded Samaria, and after a siege of 
three years, made himself master of the whole country, 
and carried the remaining part of the ten tribes, which had 
been left by Tiglath-Pileser, into captivity, and planted 
them beyond the river Euphrates, from which place, the 
great body of them never have returned : Thus ended 
the kingdom of Israel. It is undoubtedly true, however, 
that a portion of each of the tribes escaped this captivity, 
and remained in Samaria. Some of the Israelitish cap- 



DIVINE REVELATION. 95 

lives also had permission to return to their own land, so 
that a sufficient number remained in Palestine in our Sa- 
viour's day to represent all the ten tribes. Besides these, 
it appears from the Samaritan Chronicle, as quoted by 
Don Calmet, " that in the 35th year of the pontificate 
of Abdelus, 3000 Israelites, by the permission of king 
Sauredius, returned from captivity, under the conduct of 
Adus, son of Simeon. '' 

From the recent investigations of some of the most learn- 
ed in India, the Affghan and Pyran nations are the de- 
scendants of the ten tribes. Dr. Buchanan informs us 
that when he visited the Black Jews in the South of India, 
he inquired of them v/here their brethren of the ten tribes 
were to be found, or the great body of them ; and he tells 
us that they readily answered, " in the north, in the re- 
gions adjacent to Chaldea, the very country whither they 
were first carried into captivity." 

Sir William Jones has given it as his opinion, that the 
Affghans are Jews, and quotes various authorities in con- 
firmation of that opinion. " We learn," says this writer, 
*^ from Esdras, that the ten tribes, after a wandering jour- 
ney, came to a country called Arsareth, where we may 
su])pose they settled. Now the best Persian historians 
affirm that the AfTghans are descended from the Jews ; 
and they have among themselves traditions of the same 
import. It is even asserted, that their families are dis- 
tinguished by the names of Jewish tribes." 

Should it be asked why they have not retained the rec- 
ords of their country ? The answer is perfectly easy. The 
Mahomedans came upon them with a powerful invading 
army ; first inspiring them with the expectation of being 
exterminated, and then proposing to incorporate with them, 
and of uniting all their forces against the infidels. To ren- 
der this proposal sure of acceptance, these invaders alleged 
that they were Jews ; that they practiced circumcision and 
kept the Sabbath. Through fear, the Affghans consented 
to the proposal, when their ancient institutions soon became 
corrupted ; their sacred books diminished in number, till 
they finally disappeared ; since which time, they have 
passed for Mahometans. 

Dr. Buchanan informs us there were AfTghans in Cal- 



98 DEFENCE OF 

cutta at the time he resided there, and that he employed 
one of them as a servant : That he asked him if he was a 
Mahomedan ; and that he answered " no, I am a Mahome- 
dan Jew." This same author tells us that the account 
which the AfFghans give of themselves, is, that they 
are descendants from the Jews : They assert that their 
common histor es record the names of David, and Saul, 
besides the names of other kings of Israel. 

It is impossible to calculate with certainty, to what ex- 
tent the ten tribes have been scattered : But it is too ob- 
vious for denial, that the prophecy of Moses which an- 
nounced that they should be '' scattered among the heathen,^^ 
has received a literal fulfilment. 

I have now laid before you the fulfilment of his prophe- 
cy, so far as the captivity and scattering of the ten tribes 
is concerned ; — it now remains to show the entire fulfilment 
of the whole prophecy, which foretold the despersion of the 
whole nation. But before I proceed to this proof, it may 
be expedient to notice for a moment, some facts concern- 
ing the present location of the scattered remnants of these I 
t-^ibes, so far as the historical evidence-can with conven- I 
ience be introduced, without an unreasonable amplification. 

A late traveller in India,^ informs us that he visited a 
colony of Black Jews, in C ochen. (^a Bi^itish proviiice in 
Hindosfan^) who told him that they were the descendants 
of the ten tribes whose history we have before noticed. 
The same traveller mentions also a colony of White Jews, , 
in the same province, living on the sea-coast : The num- 
ber of these colonies, amount to about 16,000. A small 
colony of Samaritan Jews are located near the Mediterra- 
nean sea. Indeed, through all the eastern continents, 
these interesting people are found, and among every kind 
of people and nation, they have preserved such of their 
laws and religious ceremonies, as clearly distinguish them 
from all the rest of the world They were, therefore, em- 
phatically, '' scattered among the heathen/' according to 
the prediction of Moses. 

Soon after the general captivity of the ten tribes ; com- 
menced the captivities of the houses of Judah and of Ben- 
jamin. The first of these captivities occurred a little more 

* Dr. Buchanan. 



DIVINE REVELATION. BK 

than 600 years before the birth of Christ ; under the reign 
of Jehoiakim, when the prophet Daniel, (who was of the 
royal family,) and many others were carried to Babylon. 
The second happened only about three years after, when 
the Babylonians again invaded Judea, and carried away 
captives to the number of 3023 Jews. The thwd was 
effected about five years later^ under the reign of Jehoia- 
kim, son of the former prince of the same name, who with 
a multitude of the Jews, were captured and removed by 
the king of Babylon. About ten years after the last men- 
tioned captivity, Nebuchadnezzar again invaded the 
Jews, and carried Zedekiah, king of Judea, and the great 
body of the nation which remained, to Babylon. Here 
commenced the famous captivity which was foretold by 
the prophet Jeremiah, and limited by the prophecy of 
Daniel to the term of seventy years. During these 70 
years, their country was left desolate, and their cities were 
laid ivastCj as Moses had predicted. And although mul- 
titudes of them were permitted to return, under the reign 
of Cyrus, the Medo-Persian prince, who made himself Mas- 
ter of the Babylonish empire, still great numbers of them, 
unwilling to abandon the estates they had acquired in Chal- 
dea, never returned to their own native country. 

After their return from this captivity, the Jews are said 
to have carefully avoided the practice of idolatry, either in 
the worship ofimao;es^ or of the hosts of heaven ; believing^ 
that all, or nearly all the sad reversions of their national 
prosperity, had been occasioned by their departures from 
the statutes and commandments of Heaven. From that 
period, the Jews were never again carried into captivity 
till near the close of the apostolic age. 

Soon after the crucifixion of the Saviour, the Jews be- 
gan to prepare themselves for a formidable resistance to 
the Romans, to whose power they were partially in sub- 
jection. They did not break out in open hostilities, how- 
ever, so as to produce any serious results, until about 
seventy years after the birth of Christ. Then the tocsin of 
war was sounded throughout the plains of Judea, and ech- 
oed through all her mountains. The Romans rallied their 
forces and attempted to awe the Jews into submission, but 
in vain. Proud of the antiquity of their nation;^ and infla- 



93 DEFENCE OF 

ted by superstitious confidence in the holiness of their city 
and temple, they bade defiance to the masters of the world, 
and scorned submission to any human power. Titus, son 
of the Emperor Yespatian, was placed at the head of a 
powerful invading army, and planted the Roman standard 
over against the walls of Jerusalem. This formidable city 
held out for a long time, after the rest of the cities of Pal- 
estine fell into the hands of the conquering Romans. At 
last, however, after a long and painful struggle, the walls 
of Jerusalem were broken, the city and temple destroyed, 
thousands fell by sword, famine, and pestilence ; and the 
residue became captives to their conquerors. They were 
distributed throughout the Roman Empire, more or less 
of them dwelling in every country, and in almost every 
city. 

In, or near the middle of the second century, in the 
days of Adrian, the Jews again rallied their forces, and 
made a desperate effort to free themselves from the Ro- 
man power. This was the signal for their masters to 
crush and destroy them as a nation forever, and scatter 
them to the four winds, by dispersing them throughout 
every province and country, till, as a people, they were 
literally drained of all the means that could render them 
either formidable, or even troublesome to the Romans. 

Since that period, they have been compelled to wander 
as outcasts in every country, where trade and money cir- 
culate, and even to this day, they are scattered through 
every nation and kingdom, and are well known through- 
out the whole civilized world. How plainly and literally 
do we behold, in the present state of the Jews, the full and 
entire accomplishment of the prediction to which your at- 
tention has been called ! A prediction which was uttered 
by Moses, more than 3000 years since, and which, through 
a period of nearly 1 800 years, has stood without a parallel 
in the records of human kind ! They are, indeed, a mon- 
ument of the divine displeasure, set up, as it were, in ev- 
ery country, and preserv3d through a long succession of 
ages, to warn mankind of the faithfulness of ancient proph- 
ecy, and the danger and misery which await a rebellious 
nation. 

In the same connexion; we find other prophecies of Mo- 



DIVINE REVELATION. 99 

ses, which are still more minute and astonishing : Proph- 
ecies which stand alone, embracing events, with which 
nothing that can be found in the histories of other nations, 
will for a moment compa;e. As a specimen cf these won- 
derful predictions, I beg leave to call your attention to 
the chapter before named, viz. Lev. ^6 — 44 ; where Mo- 
ses, in the spirit of prophecy, is directed to announce, in 
the name of ihe Lord, and does announce, saying, — '' ^nd 
yet for all thaty when they be in the land of their enemies^ I 
will not cast them away ^neither will I abhor them, to destroy 
ihf^m utterly, and to break my covenant with them : for 1 am 
the Lord their God'''* This prophecy perfectly corres- 
ponds with that of Jeremiah, 30. 11. and 46. 28. For 1 am 
with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee : though I make a full 
end of all the nations whither I have dispersed thee, yet will I 
not make afidl end of thee, but Itvill correct thee i/n measure ; 
and wilt not altogether consume i/iee." 

This prophecy of Moses, which is of the same import 
with that of Jeremiah, is of such a singular character, that 
its meaning has never been a subject of dispute, neither 
among Jews or Gentiles. For it is obvious to all such 
as are acquainted with the theological writings of both 
Jews and Christians, that they have all agreed that it was 
a prophetic assurance of the preservation of the Jews, as 
a distinct and separate people, even in all their dispersions, 
through every age and country. Lest any of my hearers 
should be left in doubt, however, respecting the correct- 
ness of this interpretation ; I would just remark, that the 
prophecy of which we are treating, contains a plain and 
direct reference to the covenant promise of God to Moses, 
which stands recorded in the 33d chap. 16th and 17th ver- 
ses : " For loherein shall it be known here that I and thy peo^ 
pie have found grace in thy sight ? Is it ^ot that thou goest 
with us ? So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from 
all the people that are upon the face of the earth, *^nd the 
Lord said unto Moses, I tvill do this thing also that thou hast 
spoken. ^^ 

From these passages, we are plainly instructed th ait Je- 
hovah entered into solemn covenant to preserve the pos- 
terity of Jacob as a separate people, from all others upon 
the face of the earth. And I here ask, have not these 



100 ©EFENCE OF 

prophecies been a standing and unanswerable evidence of 
the divine inspiration of Moses, for more than 3000 years ? 
The fact can never be denied, without condemning and 
contradicting the faithful voice of sacred and profane his- 
tory : Nay ; I had almost said, that no man dare deny its 
truth : But I remember that some modern skeptics have 
had the effrontery to affirm, that ike prophecies were written 
after the facts had transpired 1 Such assertions, either prove 
their profound ignorance of history \ or what is worse, 
their determination to break down every barrier which op- 
poses the progress of infidelity, whether right or wrong ! 
But their weakness, surely must excite the pity of all can- 
did and sincere christians : And though the voice of his- 
tory is sufficient to silence their weak and deceitful pre- 
tensions, still they m.ay have the address to deceive and 
lead astray the young and uninformed mind. It is therefore 
expedient to remind the rising generation, that the writings 
of Moses were acknowledged by some of the most ancient 
authors of profane history, among the Chaldeans, Persians, 
Egyptians and Greeks ; all which were written long be- 
fore the dispersion of the Jews by the Romans : And which 
have been the sources of evidence to which we have ap- 
pealed in several of the preceding Lectures. The denial, 
therefore, of the antiquity of the Mosaic records, only 
proves the weakness of the cause which modern skepti- 
cism has espoused. 

Whoever will be at the trouble of reading the history 
of Josephus, will find an ample refutation of this childish 
pretence : Or whoever vvill read the modern history of the 
Jews, or listen to the recital of modern travellers, upon 
the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, will be furnished 
with the clearest evidence, that the prophecies under con- 
sideration are even now receiving their fulfilment. So 
that the objection which we have been called to notice is 
an abuse of common fact and common honesty. 

Before I dismiss this objection, I will simply remark, 
that the objection itself betrays the cause which it was in- 
tended to support : For it is clearly an acknowledgment 
that the facts set forth are all contained in the prophecy. 
It therefore devolves on them to prove that the facts oc- 
curred before the prophecy was written. But this, no man 



DIVINE REVELATION. 101 

oF common sense and historical reading will dare attempt. 
There is another objection which unbelievers have 
pressed into their service, and which they frequently urge 
against the inspiration of Moses. They (ell us that it is 
natural to suppose that the Jews have avoided intermar- 
rying with any other nation, in consequence of their be- 
ing strictly forbidden to do so, by one of the plainest in- 
junctions of their law. Nov/ this objection, to say the 
least, acknowledges that the Jews have always believed in 
the divine authority of the law which was given by Moses, 
and that they have given substantial evidence of the sin- 
cerity of their faith, by resisting one of the strongest 
temptations which inclination and interest could lay before 
them : For the most ordinary understanding cannot avoid 
perceiving, that had they mingled with other nations by- 
intermarriages, they would soon have lost their national 
indentity, and thus escaped all the persecutions and suf- 
ferings through which they have waded, for nearly 1800 
years. Of this, the Jews have always been sensible ; and 
yet, notwithstanding their ardent desire to be free from 
such persecutions, and their unutterable dread of such 
sufferings as they have experienced, they are, and have 
been so disposed, by the overruling providence of God, 
as to maintain their separate character, amidst the most 
astonishing oppressions and miseries which have ever fal- 
len to the lot of any nation or people upon the face of the 
globe. 

The weakness of the objection which we are consider- 
ing will be perfectly apparent, if we reflect for a moment, 
how trifling the offence of intermarrying with other na- 
tions would have been, compared with other offences which 
they committed, times without number. The principal ob- 
ject to be secured by prohibiting their intermarriages with 
other nations, was to preserve them from one of the most 
powerful temptations to which they would be exposed, of 
joining them in the rites of idolatrv : And yet how often 
did they forsake the worship of God, and bow down to the 
idols of the heathen ! How often did the prophets com- 
plain and lament that the Jews caused their children to 
pass through the fire as an offering to Moloch^ contmry 
to the express command of God ? 
10 



102 DEFENCE OF, ScC. 

It was impossible for Moses, or any other man, to fore- 
see, by any human calculation^ that the Israelites would 
not break every command which they had received, for- 
sake every ordinance of their law, amalgamate with other 
nations, and in a short time be swallowed up in the great 
mass of human population, so as utterly to lose their na- 
tional identity and character : Human wisdom, support- 
ed by general observation, would surely have anticipated 
such a result, instead of embracing a conclusion that 
was contrary to all precedent, and which still stands with- 
out a parallel in the annals of all nations. 

Nothing but the confident assurance, that what he ut- 
tered was the voice of God, could ever have induced 
Moses, or any reasonable man, holding the high and hon- 
orable station which he filled, to venture such assertions 
as these predictions contain. And their accurate and as- 
tonishing fulfilment, entirely justifies the confidence with 
which he announced these great events to the tribes of 
Jacob. 

Had not his predictions been fulfilled, his writings would 
long since have fallen into disgrace, and his name sunk 
to oblivion ; or been preserved only in story, as an exam- 
ple of daring presumption and mad imposture. But, thank 
God, his memory lives in the hearts of his wandering and 
dispersed countrymen, and his name stands enrolled in the 
records of undying fame, as the prophet and friend of God. 

There are other prophecies, which have been recorded 
by Moses, still more astonishing than any which have yet 
been brought under consideration ; and whose fulfilment 
is so clearly marked by history, as to settle, for ever, the 
question of his divine inspiration. 

There are also a few popular objections to the writings 
of this prophet, which experience and candor call us to 
consider. These, I beg leave to inform the audience, 
will be the subject of our next Lecture. 

And now, my brethren and friends, let no inferior sub- 
ject divert our minds from the investigation of that divine 
truth, which is so important to our hopes and our happi- 
ness. And may heavenly wisdom direct us in the pathway 
of understanding, and secure to us '' that good part which 
shall not be taken away." 



liECTUBE IX. 



St. Jo his- v. 46, 47. 
" Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me : for he 
wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe 
my words ?" 

In my last Lecture, some of the prophecies of Moses 
were brought forward, and carefully compared with the 
history of their fulfilment. Many of my hearers were 
doubtless satisfied of the divine inspiration of that prophet, 
from the evidence then adduced. But since it is obvious 
that much depends upon the prophetic inspiration of Mo- 
ses, and that the credibility of those v/ho followed him in 
the prophetic office, will derive additional strength from 
the overwhelming evidence of his inspiration, it is not in- 
consistent with the design of our present labors, to lay 
other prophecies, which have been recorded by him, be- 
fore you, and the historical evidence by which their fulfil- 
ment is placed beyond a reasonable doubt. The prophe- 
cies which have been recorded by Moses, and which now 
present themselves for consideration, are, in some re- 
spects, peculiarly strange and astonishing. That they 
stand without a precedent, and challenge a parallel in the 
annals of all ages, has long since been asserted and prov- 
ed, both by Jewish and Christian writers. 

The text which we have chosen as a motto to direct our 
thoughts, asserts that Moses wrote of Christ. Although 
many passages of his writings have a direct reference to 
the Saviour of the world, and might be urged with great 
propriety, in confirmation of this truth ; still we shall for- - 
bear to notice any which do not appear to be of the first 
importance to the great object of our present labors ; or, 
which are not supported by such historical evidence as 
will commend itself to the reason and understanding of 
mj hearerso 



104 DEFENCE OF 

It has before been shown, not only hy the evidence of 
history, but by the acknowledgments' of those who affect 
to disbeheve the whole testimony, that the Jews sincerely 
behoved in the divine legation, and prophetic inspiration 
of Moses. This fact, therefore, renders it expedient for 
me to advert to one of the prophecies recorded by him^ 
which, perhaps, more than any other, has baffled the arts,' 
and confounded the arguments of the most learned among 
the descendants of the house of Jacob. 

The passage to which I allude is recorded in the book 
of Genesis, xlix. 10. '' The sceptre shall not depart from 
Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feel, until Shiloh 
come : and to him shall the gathering together of the 
people be.^^ 

The name Shiloh, signifies a Saviour, a Peace-Maker, 
The plain import of the language here employed, is, that the 
sceptre should not depart from Judah, or Judah should not 
be destitute of one to sit upon the throne of authority, or 
one to give laws to the house of Judah, until the Saviour 
and Peace-Maker should make his appearance in the world; 
and it therefore directly implies, that after this illustrious 
character should appear, the sceptre, which is the token 
or emblem of authority, should depart from the house of] 
Judah, and that there should be no one to give laws to 
that nation, from among the ancient tribes : At least, that 
no legitimate authority, or independence, should be pos- J 
sessed and exercised by them. 

That this prediction was literally fulfilled, every atten- 
tive reader of history will bear me witness : For there 
never was a time, from the days of Moses, until after the 
captivity of the Jews, by the Romans, in which they were 
not governed by Rulers of their own appointment. Even 
during the Babylonish captivity, the Jews it is said were 
permitted to be governed by their own laws ; and appoint 
their own Rulers ; in such a manner as not to interfere 
with the established laws of the Babylonish Empire. It 
is further evident from the story of Susanna, that the Jews j 
had Judges and Elders in Babylon, who governed them,' 
and decided matters in dispute juridically according to 
their laws : For it appears that this woman was condemn- 
ed to be stoned to death by the judges, upon the false tes- 



DIVINE REVELATION. 105 

iimony of two of the Elders, who were, however them- 
selves condemned to suffer that punishment in her stead, 
as the just demerit of their perjury, it is also contended 
by Don Calmet, that the refuse of the Israelites were left 
in Judea, during this famous captivity, and were governed 
by Josiah, and other kings of Judah. 

Should it however be doubted, that during the Babylo- 
nish and other captivities, the Jews were governed by their 
own Rulers ; we reply, that some of the most eminent 
Jewish writers have entirely obviated the objection to the 
application of this prophecy to the Messiah, on that ac- 
count : For the Targum of Onkelos renders the passage 
thus— '^ There shall not fail from Judah one exercising 
dominion /orever ; until king Messiah come." The obvi- 
ous import of this rendering is, that the power of govern- 
ment should not be entirely removed from the Jewish nation 
at, or during any period, until the Messiah should make 
his appearance. This is substantially the sense and mean- 
ing of the Christian interpretation. And it is just to remark 
in this stage of our inquiries, that Onkelos is supposed to 
have lived sometime before the birth of Christ, and has al- 
ways been esteemed by the Jews, as one of the most able, 
faithful and literal translators and expositors of the He- 
brew text. 

My Brethren, I might with a great degree of confidence, 
forbear to quote any farther evidence of the application 
of this prophecy ; but I deem it prudent, at least, to fur- 
nish other testimony. The Targum of Jonathan, and that 
which is termed the Jerusalem Targum, render this pas- 
sage thus, — ^' The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, 
nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until the time when 
the king Messiah shall come." Thus it appears undenia- 
ble, that the most respectable authorities among the Jew- 
ish writers have clearly applied the prophecy under con- 
sideration to Christ, the annointed Saviour of the world. 
The Targum, or exposition of Jonathan, is supposed by 
some to have been written about thirty years before the 
birth of Christ — that of Onkelos a little later, and that of 
Jerusalem unknown ; though some critics have considered 
it still more ancient. These have always been held in the 
greatest esteem by the Jews, and are therefore quoted as 
10^ 



106 DEFENCE OF 

the best authorities for the genuine sense of the prophecy. 
To these I may add the name of the learned Grotius, of 
the sixteenth century, who, in speaking of those interpre- 
tations among the modern Jews, which differ from the 
Christian translation, condemns them in toto, and says, 
^' away then, with the modern fictions of the Jews." 

Having therefore shown from the highest authority that 
the correct application of this prophecy refers us to Christ ; 
"we may now open our eyes to the evidence of its fulfilment. 
That the Jews are scattered throughout the whole world, 
without any distinct government which they can call their 
own, and without being able even to mark the distinction 
of their tribes, is a fact too well authenticated, and too 
generally known, to require any arguments for its defence. 
It is now utterly impossible for the Jews themselves to de- 
termine from which of the tribes they have descended, 
since they have, during their long dispersion, and the vi- 
olent persecutions which they have suffered, intermarried 
with each other, until the identrty of their tribes is entirely 
lost. And from the period of their overthrow by the Ro- 
mans, for the term of more than 1700 years, they have 
been subjected to foreign masters, and live as aliens, even 
in their own native Palestine. Surely then, the sceptre 
has departed from Judah, and the lawgiver from between 
his feet. The promised and predicted Shiloh has come ; 
whose birth, life, character, death, resurrection and ascen- 
sion, was sung by many of the ancient prophets, and has 
been emblazoned from the faithful pages of modern history. 

I shall nov/ call your attention to some of the prophet- 
ical denunciations of Moses, which are of a most singular 
and astonishing character ; and whose fulfilment must defy 
the power of reason to indulge a single rational doubt of j 
the inspiration of him who announced them to the descend- 
ants of I'^rael. 

In Deuteronomy xxviii. 62, 63. the prophet declares to 
the Jews, — " le shall be few in number, whereas ye were 
as the stars of heaven for multitude, — and ye shall be 
plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it." 

This is truly a most astonishing prophecy, and its sin- 
gularity renders it worthy of particular observation. When 
it was pronounced, the Israelites had not entered into the 



DIVINE REVELATION. lOT 

promised land, nor had they any inheritance among the 
nations. It embraces the certainty of their entering upon 
the possession of Canaan, and foretells that they would be 
reduced from a vast and innumerable multitude, to few in 
number, and be removed from that land by their invading 
enemies. 

Moses, as a powerful and successful legislator, stakes 
his reputation upon the truth of these prophecies: The 
question therefore is, have they received a literal fulfil- 
meni ? — If they have, his prophetic inspiration is establish- 
ed. That they have been literally plucked from off 
the land which they went to possess, is clearly proved by 
the history of their captivities, as well as their present dis- 
persion throughout the globe. I must here advert to what 
has already been laid before you : namely,- that the ten 
tribes have never returned from the captivity into which 
they were carried by the king of Assyria : But a scanty 
portion of them ever returned from the Babylonish captiv- 
ity ; and finally, the work of their entire removal, as a 
nation, was effectually completed by the Romans. 

Since that period, their country has been constantly in 
possession of foreign lords and masters, entirely out of the 
possession, and removed from the control of the Jews. In- 
deed, there are and have been but few of the Jews re- 
maining in Palestine since their overthrow, and these, of 
the poorer sort. In the twelfth century, a celebrated Jew 
of Tudela in Spain, distinguished by the appellation of 
Rabbi Benjamin, travelled into almost all parts of the civ- 
ilized world to examine the synagogues and ceremonies 
of his nation, and to inform himself of the exact condition 
of his brethren He tells us that Jerusalem was almost 
entirely abandoned by the Jews ; that there were not 
more than 200 of them to be found there, and these, most- 
ly dyers of wool, the monopoly of which trade they pur- 
chased from year to year. These, he tells us, all lived to- 
gether in David's tower, making very little figure, and ex- 
citing as little notice. In other parts of the country he 
found one or two in a city ; — in some twenty, and in oth- 
ers, none. Sandy, in his travels, speaking ofthe landof 
Palestine, savs, '' It is for the most part inherited by 
Moors and Arabians ; those possessing the valleys, and 



108 DEFENCE OF 

these the mountains. Turks, there be a few : but many 
Greeks with other christians ot ail sects and nations, such 
as impute to the place an adherent holiness. Here be al- 
so some Jews, yet inherit they no part of the land, but in 
their own country do live as aliens." Thus you see, my 
hearers, how exactly the prophecy has been fulfilled, 
which declared to the tribes of Jacob that they should be 
plucked from off the land which they were going to possess. 

Another part of this prophecy announced that they 
should h^Qomefeiv in number^ though they were previously 
to be multiplied as the stars of heaven. 

Passing over the numerous w^ars by which the Jewish 
ranks were thinned from time to time, this prophecy was 
literally verified in the memorable siege of Jerusalem, 
when it was invested by Titus ; aad when, as Josephus ex- 
presses it, an infinite multiiudt perished. He computes the 
number that perished by sword and famine, at eleven hun- 
dred thousand ! This otherwise incredible number, can 
be readily accounted for, since the Jews were assembled 
from all parts to celebrate the passover, at Jerusalem. 

JBasnage, in his history of the Jews, furnishes an ac- 
count of one million^ three hundred and thirly-nine thousand j 
six hundrtl and ninety persons, that were destroyed in the 
city of Jerusalem and other parts of Judea, besides m/z€/t/- 
nine ihonsand two hundred, taken prisoners. These facts 
he has collected from the accounts of Josephus. In these 
historical facts you plainly see the fulfilment of the pro- 
phecy which foretold the astonishing reduction of the vast 
multitudes of the Jews to ^^few in nurahery 

The learned historian to w^hom I have alluded, when 
speakinry of the prophecies concerning their dispersion, 
their sufferings, and their miraculous preservation as a 
distinct and separate people, whose history abounds with 
massacres and persecutions, uses the following language 
concerning them — ^' Here," says he, ^' is also another cir- 
cumstance which heightens this prodigy. This forlorn 
and persecuted nation can scarcely find one place in the 
universe to rest their heads, or to set their feet in. They 
have waded throuorh floods of their own blood, and are as 
yet preserved That infinite number of Jews, murdered 
through a cruel and barbarous zeal; weakened; but did not 



DIVINE REVELATION. 109 

destroy that nation. For notwithstanding the joint perse- 
cutions of Christians and Idoiators, who designed their 
ruin, they are still in being." And may 1 not with the 
iuilest confidence add, that had not God pledged to them 
his protection, they must, even the whole race of them, 
long ere this, have been exterminated from the face of the 
globe. Well may we exclaim in the language of Basnage, 
*' What a marvellous thing it is, that after so many wars, 
battles, and sieges ; after so many rebellions, massacres 
and persecutions ; after so many years of captivity, slavery 
and misery, they are not destroyed utterly ; and though 
scattered among all people, yet subsist as a distinct peo- 
ple by themselves : where is there any thing comparable 
to this to be found in all the histories, and in all the nations 
under the sun ?" 

After announcing to them the prophecy, that they should 
be ^' scattered among all nations," Moses proceeds to tell 
them, Deut. xxviii. 64-66 — ^' And there thou shalt serve 
other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, 
even wood and stone. And among these nations shalt thou 
find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest : 
but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and 
failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind. And thy life shall 
hang in doubt before thee ; and thou shalt fear day and 
night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life." 

Here Moses predicts that they should serve other gods, 
which were unknown to them or their fathers, " even wood 
and stone." This prediction has been exactly fulfilled, 
during their last, long and oppressive captivity ; for the 
Jews of Spain, and other Catholic countries, have been 
compelled to submit to the idolatrous rites of the church 
of Rome, and bow down to stocks and stones, to prevent 
having their property confiscated and their persons mur- 
dered by the Inquisition. This, according to Levi's dis- 
sertafionsupon the prophecies, (vol. i page 18.) was the 
cause which led multitudes to apostatize from the Jewish 
religion and adopt the forms and worship of the church of 
Rome, with all the adoration which was paid to senseless 
images. 

Again, Moses fells them that they shall find no e as e^ nei- 
ther rest for tat soles of their feet. On this clause^ it is prop- 



no DEFENCE OF 

er to remark, that the prediction has been abundantly ver» 
ified : for they have suffered banishment from place to 
place, and from country to country, so often, that they 
have constantly hung in doubt respecting any permanent 
location. In some places, they have been banished, then 
recalled, and then banished again. According to Basnage, 
they were banished from England about the close of the 
thirteenth century, and were not permitted to return again 
till the reign of Charles the Second, or the days of Oliver 
Cromwell. Near the close of the fifteenth century, they 
were banished from Spain, by Ferdinand and Isabella : 
and according to P?Iariana, there were 70,000 families, or 
about 800,000 persons, who left Spain in consequence of 
this edict. These Jews were received in Portugal, by 
John II. who made them pay dearly for a refuge. By 
Emanuel, his successor, they Vv-ere shortly after banished. 
This prince shamefully violated his faith and outraged 
every principle of humanity by depriving them of the priv- 
ilege of carrying their children with them, which were un- 
der fourteen years of age. This reduced the Jews to such 
a state of despair, that some of them killed themselves, 
and others became the executioners of their own children. 

With the prophetic vision of these inhuman oppressions^jjaj 
well might Moses declare, Deut. xxviii. 29, 32. ^' that they-^ 
should be oppressed and spoiled evermore^ and that their 
sons and daughters should be saiven to another people.'''' These 
predictions have been fulfilled in several countries, but 
more especially in Spain and Portugal, where they were 
very numerous in former ages. Here their children were 
taken from them by order of government, that they might 
be educated in conformity with the Roman Catholic creed. 
The fourth council of Toledo, in Spain, ordered that all 
the Jewish children should be taken from their parents 
and shut up in monasteries to be instructed in what was 
then termed the christian truths. 

Their oppressions of which mention is made in this 
prophecy, have been without a parallel in the history of all 
nations. Hovy often has their valuable property been 
seized, and their coffers drained, to supply the necessities 
of the state, or to pamper the luxury and extravagance of 
a British prince. They have been fined and fleeced by 



©iVINE REVELATION. HI 

different governments, and forced to redeem their wretched 
lives by extravagant sums of money, extorted from them 
by the most cruel sufferings ! Kennet, the English histo- 
rian, says that Henry III. '' always polled the Jews at ev- 
ery low ebb of his fortunes One Abraham, who was 
found delinquent, was forced to pay seven hundred marks 
for his ransom. Aaron, another Jew, protested that the 
king had taken from him at times, thirty thousand marks 
of silver, and two hundred marks of gold, which he had 
presented to the queen." 

Another respectable historian* informs us, that in the 
year 1240, the king attempted to fleece the Jews to the 
utmost extent. That he ^' commanded all the Jews of both 
sexes throughout England, to be imprisoned, till they 
would make a discovery of their wealth ; which he appoint- 
ed officers to receive in every county, and return to his 
Exchequer. Many of them, no doubt, pleaded poverty, or 
pretended to have given up all : but as the tyrant was in 
earnest to have their last farthing, he extorted it by the 
most cruel torments." 

Stow asserts that the generality of these sufferers had 
one eye put out: while Matthew Paris informs his readers 
that from a single individual Jew at Bristol, the king de- 
manded no less than ten thousand marks of silver. This 
was resolutely denied, and the king ordered that one of his 
large teeth should be extracted daily, till he complied 
with the demand. He had the courage to sustain seven op- 
perations, when his sufferings overcame his resolution, and 
he ransomed the remainder of his teeth by the sum de- 
manded. Thus, at every step we advance, v/e behold new 
demonstrations of the fulfilment of the prophecies of Moses. 

In the 34th verse of the chapter from which we have 
quoted these predictions, Moses declares to the Jews, — 
^' Thou shall be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou 
shalt see." And my Brethren, we have already seen, to 
what desperation the Jews were reduced^ when their chil- 
dren were torn from their embraces, and themselves com- 
pelled to wander in cruel banishment In their madness 
and frenzy they have destroyed their wives, their children, 
and their own lives ! Josephus informs us that after the 

* See Anglia Judaica, page TO. 



112 DEFENCE OP 

destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army, some of the 
Jews retired for refuge to the castle of JSasada ; and be- 
ing closely besieged by the conquerors, they were persua- 
ded by their leader (EleazeVy) first to murder their wives 
and children : and that they then chose ten men by lot to 
slay all the rest : and when this was accomplished, they 
appointed one of the ten to kill the other nine in like man- 
ner. When he had performed his bloody deed^ he finished 
the tragedy by stabbing himself! — This historian tells us, 
that nine hundred and sixty perished in this awful manner. 
Nor is this a solitary instance of such phrenzy and mad- 
ness : for in the reign of Richard I. the populace rose in 
arms to make a general massacre of the Jews. About 
Mif'en hundred of them, according to Basnage, retired in- 
to York castle, where they were closely besieged. They 
offered to capitulate, and ransom their lives with money. 
Their offer was refused ; when one of them, in the mad- 
ness of despair, cried '^ it is better to die couraQeovshj for the 
laiv^ than to fall into the hands of the christian s."^^ In this 
despair each seized his knife and slaughtered his wite and 
children. The men then retired into the king's palace 
and set it on fire, and consumed themselves, with the pal- 
ace and furniture ! 

I might continue to recite the prophecies of Moses, with 
the history of their exact and literal fulfilment, till I should 
swell this discourse to a volume : but I must forbear.— 
Omitting a particular notice of the prophecies which as- 
sured them that women should slay and eat their oicn childreiij 
when their walled cities should be closely besieged by 
their enemies, and its fulfilment in the memorable siege 
of Jerusalem — the assurance that they should become a 
proverb and a by-word among all nations, and its extensive 
and universal fulfilment, even to the present day ; as well 
as numerous other predictions of this celebrated lawgiver ; 
I shall hasten to consider one, and but one more, of the 
astonishing predictions of Moses. 

The prophecy to which I allude, has justly excited the 
wonder of every reflecting and serious mind, and stands 
forth as an imperishable monument of'the divine inspiration 
of this prophet. It is recorded in Deut. xxviii. 68. '^ And 
the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again, in ships ; by 



DIVINE REVELATION. 113 

the way whereof I spake unto thee, thou shalt see it no 
more again : and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies 
for bond-men and bond-v/omen^ and no man shall buy 
you." 

How striking is the contrast here presented ! But a 
short time before, they had left Egypt in triuniph : but 
now he tells them that they should again be carried back, 
not by the way of the wilderness, but in ships, to be sold 
for slaves, to their ancient enemies, till none should be 
found to purchase them ! This prediction, as strange as 
it may appear, was literally and fully accomplished : For 
in the antiquities of the Jews, book xii. and chapter first^ 
josephus informs us, that "in the reign of the two first 
Ptolemies, a number of Jews were slaves in Egypt. And 
when Jerusalem was taken by Titus, he sent many of 
them captives, who were above seventeen years of age, 
bound to the works in Egypt : those under seventeen, 
. w^re solcl ; but so little care was taken of these captives, 
that eleven thousand of them perished for want. The mar- 
kets were so overstocked with them, that (as this author 
tells us elsewhere) the Jeivs with their wives and children, 
were sold at the lowest price." After their lasr overthrow, 
by Adrian, Josephus informs us that many thousands of 
them were sold ; and those that could not be disposed of 
at home, were transported in ships to Egypt. Many per- 
ished by shipwreck and famine, multitudes were sold as 
slaves, till no purchasers could be found, and the remain- 
der were massacred by the inhabitants ! 

Such, my hearers, are the manifest proofs of the pro- 
phecies of Moses — prophecies which were uttered more 
than 3000 years ago, and which stand without a single 
parallel in the annals of all ages. 

The clear and lucid evidence of their minute fulfilment, 
cannot fail to inspire the candid mind with astonishment, 
and fill the heart with the most profound reverence for the 
power, the majesty, and the faithfulness of God. The 
minuteness with which these prophecies have been fulfill- 
ed, has disarmed some of the boldest of skeptics, and en- 
raged the more ignorant and headstrong, who have given 
vent to their ungenerous spleen and their wounded pride, 
by unmanly satire and childish ridicule ; which has ex- 

n 



114 3DEFENCE OF 

cited the blush of reason and philosophy, and called forth 
the tear of generous pity and compassion. These pro- 
phecies, however, and their entire fulfilment, present a 
barrier, against which the foaming waves of skepticism 
^vill ever rage in vain. They challenge the power of all 
the enemies of revelation to contradict their truth, and 
defy^ the entire host of unbelievers to shake their imper- 
ishable foundations. 

And now, my hearers, what does the skeptic offer 
against the prophetic inspiration of Moses, to justify your 
reason in rejecting his testimony ? Does he prove by his- 
tory, that the facts predicted did not transpire } He dare 
not pretend this. Does he show you that divine inspira- 
tion is absurd and impossible ? So far from this, he is con- 
strained to admit, what he dare not deny, that a revelation 
is possible. What then does he offer to justify his own un- 
belief, and persuade you to reject the testimony of Moses .^ 
Why, he simply proposes a few childish objections, back- 
ed with voUies of abuse and ridicule ! And does he flatter 
himself that your sober judgment is thus to be trifled with .'' 
I trust that such pretenders to reason and philosophy will 
find themselves for once mistaken, and be compelled to 
abandon their vain and delusive attempt. 

Let us now notice a few of their objections. — They tell 
us that Moses wrote many of his prophecies in the preter 
or past tense, and therefore is undeserving of credit. And 
does this method of employing language destroy the cred- 
ibility of a prophet ? The very suggestion is the monster 
of absurdity : for who does not know that from time im- 
memorial, "predictions and promises that are prophetical, 
have been given in the preter tense, to impress the mind 
of man with the certainty of their truth and divine author- 
ity ? And do we not see the fulfilment of such predictions, 
ages after they were uttered ? 

Again, — we^ are told that Moses must have been an im- 
postor, because the books ascribed to him contain an ac- 
count of his own death. And would this fact prove that 
he was not an inspired prophet ? certainly not, unless it 
could be shown that he did not die at the time, and in the 
manner there set forth : Where then is the mighty strength 
and cogency ofthe objection ? Have skeptics ever attempt- 



DIVINE REVELATION. 115 

ed to prove that the facts alleged were untrue ?— No, nor 
will they attempt to do this. But do they not know, (and 
if they do not, it is civility in us to inform them,) that both 
Jewish and Christian writers have always believed and 
maintained, that the Pentateuch was finished by another 
hand ; probably by Joshua ; and that many remarks con- 
cerning Moses were probably inserted by the compiler of 
his Manuscript } Why then do they urge such puerile ob- 
jections !— Alas, it is for the want of more solid objections 
and arguments. 

Once more, — we are told that Moses pretends to have 
been commissioned to direct the warriors of Israel to fall 
upon whole cities and tribes of their enemies, and to ex- 
terminate men, women and children ! And this is presum- 
ed to be sufficient to invalidate all his pretensions to divine 
inspiration. And is this so powerful an objection as to 
disprove the fact that Moses penned the most astonishing 
predictions, and that these predictions, which were totally 
unauthorized by any precedent in the history of man, 
were a tissue of deception and falsehood, notwithstanding 
their exact and literal fulfilment, merely because Moses 
asserts that such injunctions were imposed by divine au- 
thority } Would not the evident fulfilment of his prophe- 
cies, on the other hand, furnish undeniable proof of the 
divine authority of what he commanded ^ 

What is there, we ask, in this account, that is so unlike 
the scenes which we daily meet, in contemplating the 
character of the God of nature ? Deists acknowledge that 
God governs both the natural and moral world ; and are 
there no sufferings, no destructions of men, women and 
children, — No wild tornadoes, no unsparing earthquakes ; 
no sweeping pestilences, depopulating kingdoms, and lay- 
ing waste the fairest portions of the globe ^ — Have there 
been no wars of extermination, but among the Hebrews ? 
That such wars have been far more numerous among the 
heathen, will not be denied by any historian, nor by any 
attentive reader of history : And why has not the God of 
nature interposed his power to prevent them, if they were 
subversive of the great designs of his government } If he 
did not design their existence, he certainly could have 
prevented their occurrence ; and as he did not prevent 



116 ©EFENCE OF 

them by his powerful interposition, it must be conceded 
by every consistent Deist, that he has permitted them for 
some great and wise purpose, which is too deep for human 
penetration to fathom. Here you discover, my hearers, 
that the Deist himself is under the necessity of appeaUng 
to the mystery of an inscrutable Providence, to sustain and 
justify the character of the God of nature : He pleads that 
it must be for some wise and great end, which, were it 
fully unfolded to our view, would furnish an ample vindi- 
cation of the wisdom, the goodness, and the justice of the 
Creator. With this vindication, we have no disposition to 
find fault ; for our opponents, in this, appear like men of 
reason. It is a happy circumstance, however, that we are 
under no such necessity of appealing to mystery, in vindi- 
cating the justice and wisdom of God, in the case which 
this objection embraces ; for an ample reason is assigned 
hy the testimony itself. 

And I beg leave here to remark, that the Jews were not 
permitted to slay women and children, on any occasion, 
in a war with foreign nations ; nor any except such as 
were found in arms against them, even of the men. To 
the seven Canaanitish nations, they were expressly com- 
manded to tender the olive of peace ; and in case this of- 
fer was accepted, they were bound to spare their lives and 
treat them with humanity. But in case they refused to 
accept the offer of peace, and agree to abstain from the 
practice of idolatry, the Jews were then permitted to wage 
against them an exterminating war. For this permission, 
a'^reason is assigned in the very connexion where the per- 
mission is found^ :— See Exodus xx. 1 8 — " That they teach 
you not to do after their abominations, which they have 
done unto their Gods, so should ye sin against the Lord 
your God." When we reflect thut these Canaanitish na- 
tions were in the habit of offering their children in sacri- 
fice to false gods, can it be a matter of surprise that the 
Jews should be made the instruments of their overthrow, 
as a token of the divine displeasure ; any more, than that 
God should overthrow and destroy the ante deluvian world, 
by a general deluge ? Or that he should destrr.y the cities 
of the plain by fire, for their wickedness ?— Where in the 
name of reason is the difference, except it be, that by de- 



DIVINE REVELATION. 1 1 "^ 

stroying these incorrigible idolaters by the instrumentali- 
ty of the Israelites, their land and habitations would be 
left lor another and less abominable race of men ? Had 
the idolatrous females of these Canaanitish nations, no 
participation in the abominable and cruel rites of Pagan- 
ism ? — Did they not seduce the men of Israel, by their 
artful intrigues, into the snares of their abominations ? — 
and were they not the means of bringing some of the great- 
est calamities upon the Jews ? And pray, by what princi- 
ple of philosophy and reason, is idolatry rendered innocent 
in females, and at the same time, a crime of the blackest 
die in men ? — There are other reasons given by the his- 
torian, which modesty compels us to pass in silence, but 
which confirm the justice of their punishment. Now, had 
the children of these nations been preserved, does not 
reason tell us that they would have sought to revenge the 
death of their ancestors ? — Or if they had been spared, 
and not fed and nourished by the Israelites, would they 
not have suffered incomparably more than they did by an 
instantaneous overthrow. And again, what is the mighty 
xiifference between a destruction of fire, water, or an earth- 
quake, provided these engines be employed by the Deify 
for that purpose, and an army of men, employed by the 
same independent agency, for the same end } — For we 
have already shown that the Deity could have prevented 
any such events if he chose ; and it therefore follows, that 
he either intended them, or was indifferent about the 
events : But the supposition of indifference, is a virtual 
denial of his government of the world. To avoid this con- 
clusion, are we told that men are free agents ; and there- 
fore left to destroy whole nations, contrary to the design 
of God ?— We reply,— they are not the authors of their 
agency, and the Being who gave them this agency must 
have known what effects it would produce ; if it were 
therefore liable to frustrate any of his designs, the gift it- 
self would be indicative of infinite folly and weakness. 

The only consistent view which we can take of this 
subject, is, that the Deity, designing to establish the true 
worship of his name, in opposition to the universal prev- 
alence of idolatry, adopted such means as would tend to 
fiX;, in the minds of men^ the most solemn dread of hin 
11=^ 



118 DEFENCE OF, &C. 

power to punish and destroy such as should oppose hrs 
worship and deny his authority : And that such an effect 
was produced, both upon the Israelites, and the surround- 
ing nations, by the signal displays of his judgments, in the 
days of Moses and Joshua, must appear evident to every 
attentive reader of their history. 

I have devoted eight Lectures to the consideration of 
some of the most interesting parts of the Pentateuch, and 
have found the historical facts there recorded, amply sup- 
ported by profane authority. Two Lectures have been 
devoted to prove by history, the prophetic inspiration of 
Moses. The object has been accomplished, if the most 
respectable historians are worthy of credit. If our oppos- 
ers are still determined to shut their eyes against these 
evidences ; to deny and ridicule the plainest facts of rev- 
elation ; to brand the whole with disdainful epithets ; to 
pronounce and denounce these facts as preposterous, ab- 
surd and impossible ; we demand of them, what tangible 
or historical evidence they have to justify their bold denial 
of the truth of these books ? They have none, nor dare 
they pretend it. They may rage, and ridicule, and con- 
demn the Bible, but they will never attempt to offer us 
such evidence to justify their unbelief, as we have pro- 
duced in support of the writings of Moses. 

There are other objections which have been employed 
by skeptical writers, but they have been fairly met and 
answered by numerous authors, who have written in de- 
fence of revealed religion : I shall therefore forbear to 
detain you by their recital or their refutation. 

Weigh this subject with candor, my brethren, and may 
divme wisdom direct you in the path of judgment and 
truth. 



LECTURE X. 



Acts xxvi. 27. 
** Belieyest thou the prophets ?*' 

The divine inspiration of the prophets, has been believ- 
ed and defended by the Jews, without any intermission, 
from the days of Moses, till the period of our Saviour's 
ministry ; and by Jews and Christians from the days of 
Christ and his Apostles, down to the present generation. 
A prophet is one who foretels events by means of super- 
natural instruction, which no human foresight could em- 
brace or unfold. When we speak of a true prophet, there- 
fore, we mean to exhibit a character to whom the Deity 
has revealed somethmg which is to transpire at a period 
or periods after such a revelation is made. The act of 
prophecying, is nothing more nor less than simply declar- 
ing such truths as God has revealed. 

Two kinds of evidence are afforded, by which a real 
prophet may be infallibly known. The one is, the accu- 
rate fulfilment of his predictions ; and the other, that he 
should openly perform such miracles as to demonstrate 
that the power of God resides with him, to shield him from 
all just suspicion of falsehood or fraud. 

That kind of evidence to which there appears to be the 
least objection in the judgment of a majority of mankind, 
is the literal fulfilment of the prediction. We have already 
produced an abundance of this kind of evidence, to prove 
that Moses was a true prophet of Gnd. Predictions of the 
most astonishing character which he uttered, have been 
fulfilling from the memorable period of his death, to the 
present hour. It is not always the case, however, that a 
prophecy is immediately fuliiiled : hence a true prophet 
might be the subject of unwelcome suspicion for a long 
time, unless a different kind of evidence were afforded.— 



^^^ DEFENCE OP 

But the prophet whose writings we have bppn ^^^.-j 
ing was evidently gifted with^n^iracilou' povvers " '^''■' 
♦V. K "''l^''^^^ ^^hich he performed in Egypt by which 
the haughty oppressors of the house of Isrfef were nun 
ished andthedehveranceofthe Jewish nation vas^e" 
fected, are a standing monument of his inspiration For 

r/thrs^u: rtrarth^:r^^ n^"' •- "^^ LrLct^r 

or mis couise) that the Jewish account of the plagues of 
Egypt IS corroborated by the testimony of heathel histo 
nans. These m.racles were of a most astonis ij" char- 
acter, and such as to humble the heart of a most oppres 
sive and haughty tyrant, who had proudly defied the now 
er and authority of the Most High ^ 

But I shall doubtless be reminded that the magicians of 
Egypt performed some of these wonders of the "recorded 
plagues, which are set down as miracles, and that this fact 
IS sufficient to expose the whole account' as a mere fiction 
I can see no force, however, in this conclusion ; for as" 
was the avowed purpose of God to harden Pharaoh's hear 
as a means of displaying his own power, and of brii^S 
this monarch into a condition to receive 'the full mSf 
of punishment which he intended to inflict ; it musTbe ob- 
vious to every reflecting mind, that no method could have 
been so eflectual in securing the end, as that of permitting 
these magicians to produce afeto of the same effects which 
were produced by the instrumentalitv of Moses This 
Circumstance gave occasion for still greater displays of di- 
vine power, till even the magicians were constrained to 
confess the hand of God in what they beheld, as well as 
to acknowledge their own inability to perform such won- 
ders. Ihus the purpose of God was accomplished in the 
punishment of the Egyptians, and the triumphant depart- 
ure of the children of Israel rendered an evidence of infi- 
nity importance to establish the conviction of unchanging 
faithfulness in all the promises of God. ^ 

Many of the miracles which these plagues afl^orded, are 
altoge her unlike any others which have ever been per- 
formed in any age of the world : Sur-h as turning the wa- 
ters of Egypt into blood ; the Uce, the flies, the mortal 
Mmce ; the tremendous sforms ; the three days oHhick 
darkness, and the death of all the first born of the Egyp- 



DIVINE REVELATION. 121 

tians on the same night ! And what rendered them still 
more striking and worthy of credit, was, that Moses, when 
entreated by Pharaoh, marked the precise time in which 
they should be removed. So evidently was the hand of 
God in these miracles, that all doubt was removed from 
the minds of the Egyptians, and the children of Israel 
were urged to depart in the utmost haste, through fear 
that the whole Egyptian people would be consumed, as a 
punishment for their detention. Nor does it appear that 
the Israelites ever doubted the power of God in the won- 
ders which were there performed. Indeed, so thoroughly 
impressed were that people with a conviction of the mi- 
raculous interposition of Heaven, in these plagues, for 
their deliverance from the house of bondage, that one, and 
the last, which preceded their departure from Egypt, gave 
rise to one of the principal festivals, which has been cele- 
brated by the Jews from that period to the present day. 

The feast of the passover, which has always been cele- 
brated by the Jewish nation with the greatest solemnity, 
on each returning year, by sprinkling the blood of the 
paschal lamb upon the posts and lintels of their doors, was 
instituted in commemoration of the miraculous preserva- 
tion of all their tribes and families, on the memorable night 
in which all the first born of the Egvptians was slain by 
the destroying angel. Upon the event of this same mira- 
culous deliverance, the redemption of the first born of all 
the Jews has also been observed through every succeed- 
ing age. Thus we see that the Jews were continually re- 
minded of their degraded condition, as bond-men and bond- 
women, in Egyptian slavery, and the interposition of divine 
power for their emancipation. 

I will advert to one, and only one more of those mira- 
cles which confirm and establish the divine inspiration of 
this prophet Fifty days after the memorable era of their 
departure out of Egypt, they were permitted to witness 
the demonstrations of the inspiration of their leader — 
Moses had informed them that the glory of God would be 
displayed in a most astonishing manner, in delivering to 
th^m the statutes and commandments of his wisdom : He 
had received the assurance o^snch a manifestation, in the 
following language—^' And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, 



122 DEFENCE OF 

I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may 
hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever." 
Exod. xix. 9. 

The fulfilment of this promise was an event so wonder- 
ful, and afforded so clear a demonstration of his divine 
mission, that Moses exclaimed, ^' Ask now of the days 
that are past, which were before thee, since the day that 
God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one 
side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been 
ajiij such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard 
like it ? Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking 
out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live ?" 
Deut. iv. 32, 33. The acknowledged fulfilment of this 
promise is recorded in the 5th chap. 24th, 25th and 26th 
verses : " And they said, Behold, the Lord our God hath 
showed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard 
his voice out of the midst of the fire : we have seen this 
day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. Now 
therefore why should we die } for this great fire will con- 
sume us : if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any 
more, we shall die. For who is there of all flesh that hath 
heard the voice of the living God, speaking out of the 
midst of the fire, as we /lare, and lived ?" They therefore, 
earnestly entreated Moses, saying, verse 27th, ^^ Go thou 
near, and hear all that the Lord our God shall say : and 
speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak 
unto thee ; and we will hear if, and do i^" 

Here I beg leave to remark, that the feast of Pentecost 
was instituted in commemoration of this wonderful event ; 
and the anniversary festival of that astonishing revelation of 
the law of God, was punctually observed through all ages, 
till the final overthrow of both the nation and government 
of the Jews. Now let us ask the opposers of revelation, 
who demand a reason for our belief, what reason they can 
offer to justify themselves in rejecting the facts here laid 
down } They cannot pretend the want of a sufficient num- 
ber of witnesses to establish its credibility ; for it appears 
that the number who witnessed this glorious display, was 
about 600,000 men, besides women and children ! And 
pray, was the whole nation composed of knaves, or rather 
the most stupid idiots, that they should become the dupes 



DIVINE REVELATION. l£3 

of a most barefaced imposture ? Or if it were all no more 
than a mere artifice and a sham, is there the least reason 
to suppose, that out of more than a million of aduhs, there 
was not so much as one honest and independent man to ex- 
pose so ridiculous and wicked a falsehood ? And how can 
our opposers reconcile the fact^ that a whole nation, from 
that memorable period, received and acknowledged the 
law of Moses as divine authority, without the least appa- 
rent variation, and were ready on all occasions to die in 
its defence ? From such an absurd conclusion, reason 
turns away in disgust, and common sense blushes to re- 
cord the weakness of such inconsistency. We can scarcely 
believe it possible that any intelligent man ever perused 
the history of these wonderful events, and weighed in his 
ov/n mind, the evidences of their truth, without feeling a 
secret and irresistible conviction that the prophet Moses 
was divinely commissioned and inspired by the Creator* 
And I frankly confess my astonishment at the weak cre- 
dulity of th« se, who, in opposition to all rational and his- 
torical evidence, can have the temerity to assert, that they 
believe the whole account to be fabulous : for this is 
nothing less than beHeving, not only ivii/iout evidence, but 
against all the evidence which appears so conclusive to ev- 
ery well-informed and unprejudiced mind. As christians, 
we are not at liberty to believe any proposition without 
evidence ; but in this respect, skeptics have gone far be- 
yond our limits ; for they profess to believe the Bible 
untrue, not only wiikout, but in direct opposition to the 
^strongest evidence which history has recorded ! We shall, 
however, be justified, if we express our doubts, either of 
their sincerity, or the soundness of their judgment. For 
we challenge any man to produce such clear and substan- 
tial proof of any ancient historical fact, as that which has 
been adduced in support of the divine legation of Moses. 
Having, as we believe, produced sufficient evidence to 
establish the truth and divine authority of the writings of 
Moses, which have been the subject of several Lectures, 
I shall pass, briefly to show, that the prophetical writings 
of the Old Testament are so identified with the history of 
the Jews, that they cannot be overthrown, without de- 
stroying their history. 



124 DEFENCE 6W 

I have deemed it important to bestow a greater share bi 
labor on the Jive first books of the Bible, on account of the 
remote period in which they were written, and because 
all the later writers of scripture appeal to them as the 
original authority for their religious faith : And I cannot 
but esteem it as an evidence of great importance to the 
authenticity of these books, that all the Jews of every 
sect, besides the Samaritans, together with Mahometans 
and christians, have, in e\ery age since their existence, 
united in the most undoubted belief of their truth and di- 
vine authority. Indeed, it appears utterly impossible to 
account for the conduct of the Jewish nation in submit- 
ting to the laws and ordinances of the Pentateuch, unless 
they were accompanied with the clearest demonstrations 
of divine power. Pagan writers of the highest antiquity 
have also preserved many of the great and interesting 
facts recorded in the Pentateuch, and handed them down 
to posterity — and notwithstanding they have often disgui- 
sed and blended them with extravagant fables, still enough 
remains to convince the careful and intelligent reader 
they must have been drawn from the writings of Moses. 
Nay, we have seen that several of them have acknowledg- 
ed the authorship of Moses, and have quoted both the law 
and historical facts which he recorded, in many important 
particulars I shall therefore submit the question to the 
decision of your sober reason, whether it does not require 
the most astonishing and unreasonable credulity, for any 
man to believe that an ample code of the most rigid laws, 
requiring numerous expensive sacrifices and ceremonies ; 
all claiming to be founded upon the open display of mi- 
raculous power, in the presence of millions, was received 
and credited in such a manner as to become the standing 
law of a whole nation through all ajj^es, if no such mira- 
cles were ever performed ? And whether those who affect 
to believe that the writings of Moses are made up of fab- 
ulous imposture, do not in reality exceed the most shame- 
ful examples of ignorant credulity to which they can point 
us in all the pages of Jewish and christian history ! 

I must here pass to notice some of the most important 
predictions of other prophets, whose names are handed 
down to us by the scriptures of the Old Testament : But 



DIVINE REVELATIOxN-. 1^^ 

in doing this, it will be unnecessary to sp^ak of any ex- 
cept such as hold a conspicuous place in the historical 
records of the Jews. Before we proceed to any particu- 
lar designation, it is expedient to remind you, my hearers, 
that it was a crime, for which the Jewish law ordained 
the punishment of death, for any man to pretend to the 
gift of prophecy, if he was detected as a false prophet: 
Therefore, every one who pretended to such inspiration, 
must either openly perform a miracle, or wait till the 
event of his prophecy had fully and clearly tested his claim 
to that high and honorable office. 

It may be proper here to give the names of such pro- 
phets as were principally esteemed, and recorded in Jew- 
ish history, with the periods of their death, by which it 
will appear that they were raised up in that nation at the 
very time when their eminent services were most needed 
to check the ambition of kings, and to prevent the univer- 
sal corruption of divine truth and divine worship. The 
catalogue which I shall present to you, commenced about 
the period when the Jews began to be dissatisfied with the 
government of the Judges, and discovered an unconquer- 
able propensity to imitate the neighboring nations, by set- 
ting apart a king to reign over them. 

The prophet who was then raised up, admonished them 
of the danger to which they would be exposed, and pre- 
dicted that the kingdom would soon b« r^nt from Saul^ 
and transferred to David. This prophet was Samuel, who 
died about 1057 yeetrs before Christ. The next v/as Da- 
vid, king of Israel, who died 1015 — Elijah, 895 — Elisha, 
830— Amos, 785— Jonah, 784— Hosea, 725— Micah, 699 
— Isaiah and Nahura, 698 — Joel, 660 — Zephaniah, 609 — 
Habakkuk, 598 — Jeremiah, 586 — Obadiah, 583^ — Eze- 
kiel, 536— Daniel, 534— Haggai and Zechariah, 518 — 
Malachi, 420. 

It is worthy of special notice, that from the time of the 
Judges, to the close of the Babylonish captivity, when 
the Jews were effectually weaned from the sin of idolatry, 
the number of prophets far exceeded that of any other pe- 
riod of equal length ; and it clearly displays the wisdom 
of God, in providing such guards, and efTeciual barriers, 
against the wide spread corruptions and idolatries which 
12 



126 DEFENCE OP 

marked the reign of many of their kings. Previous io 
the time of these kings, the names of Joshua, Gideon, 
Barack, Sampson, and Jephthah, are mentioned as per- 
sons to whom divine communications were made i'rom 
time to time, and who occasionally officiated in the char- 
acter of prophets. Indeed, the acts and predictions of 
these prophets, together with the fulfilment of what they 
foretold, is so interwoven with, and occupies so large a 
portion of the Jewish history, from the days of Moses, till 
about four hundred years before the birth of Christ, that 
it would be impossible to make a separation, without de- 
stroying, or at least, without rendering that history entire- 
ly useless. 

The prophecies of the Old Testament were totally dif- 
ferent from all the oracles of the heathen : They were 
delivered without solicitation, and publicly pronounced 
before multitudes ; not in doubtful and ambiguous terms, 
but generally in a plain and explicit manner, so as to be 
easily understood by all classes. Nay, more ; they were 
generally written at length, and exposed to the inspection 
of all such as had the curiosity to examine what they fore- 
told. By this means, all frauds could readily be detected, 
and every man could judge, of them by their fulfilment.—- 
Not so with pagan oracles : Questions had to be propos- 
ed, their answers demanded, and these responses were 
always conveyed in language highly ambiguous ; so that 
let the event prove as it might, there was always left am- 
ple room for evasion, should the charge of falsehood be 
preferred. In addition to this, the responses were always 
given in secret, and the books containing the mysteries of 
their religion w^ere always concealed from the multitude. 

With these remarks concerning the character of Jewish 
prophecy, we shall hasten to notice a few of the predic- 
tions of some of the principal prophets of olden time, and 
their plain and literal fulfilment. 

About 742 years before Christ, Rezin, king of Syria, 
and Pekah, king of Israel, entered into a confederacy 
against Ahaz, king of Judah : This monarch was greatly 
dfstressed, lest the kingdom of Judah should be absolute- 
ly destroyed. x\t this alarming crisis, the prophet Isaiah 
was sent to Ahaz, and in a public manner assured him 



DIVINE REVELATION. 1-" 

that the enterprise should be frustrated, and that these 
confederate kings should both die in a short time : that 
before a child, which should be born in about ten nfionths, 
should be able to say, '' My father and my mother," the 
capitals of Syria and Israel, namely, Damascus and Sa- 
maria, should both be subjected to the king of Assyria. — 
This prediction was literally fulfilled within the short space 
oHhree years ; as may be seen by consulting Isaiah 7th 
and 8th chapters, and II. Kings xv. 29, 30. xvi. 29. The 
destruction of the army of Sennacherib was also accurate- 
ly foretold by this prophet. Again, we are apprized, that 
after the departure of the ambassadors of the king of Bab- 
ylon, to whom Hezekiah had disclosed his treasures, this 
same prophet was commissioned to assure the Jewish 
monarch, that all his treasures should be conveyed to 
Babylon ; and that the princes descending from him, 
should become menial servants. Isa. xxxix. 5-7. II. 
Kings XX. At the time this prediction was uttered, the 
kings of Judah and Babylon were allies : Yet it was liter- 
ally accomplished soon after^ when the Jews were carried 
captive to Babylon. 

The overthrow of the Babylonian monarch, and the 
Bame of the military chieftain, Cyrus, by whom it should 
be effected, were mentioned by Isaiah, more than one hun- 
dred years before he was born, as v»ell as the return of 
the Jewish captivity. See Isaiah, 45th chapter. The en- 
tire destruction of the city of Babylon, was also foretold 
by this prophet, so that its ancient site should be lost ; 
and that with such precision, that his character, as a true 
prophet of God, was never afterwards doubted by the 
Jews. For this prophecy, and its literal fulfilment, you 
are invited to consult Isa. I3th, 1 4th and 47th chapters, 
and the history of Josephus ; with numerous other ac- 
counts of more modern travellers. 

Another prophet predicted the reign of Josiah, calling 
him by name, more than three hundred years before his 
birth, and confirmed the prediction of what he should per- 
form, by two astonishing miracles. This prediction was 
literally fulfilled, as may be seen by comparing the pro- 
phecy with the history — i. Kings, xiii. chap, and ii. of 
Kings, xxiii. chap. 



128 BEFENCE OF 

Isaiah predicted the entire discontinuance of idolatry 
among the Jews^ ii. chap. 18; 21, and which was literal- 
ly effected within two hundred years, by the sufferings of 
the Babylonish captivity. This prophet also foretold the 
general distress and ruin that should be brought upon the 
Jews for their wickedness, which overtook them within 
two hundred years, as may be seen, Isa. iii. 1, 14, and 
ii. Chronicles, xxxvi. chap. In addition to all these pre- 
dictions, Isaiah announced that a few of the poorer sort 
should be left to cultivate the land of Israel, during the 
Babylonish captivity, which was also fully accomplished. 

Jeremiah anticipated by prophecy the conquests of Ne- 
buchadnezzar, v/ith the certain captivity of the Jew^s, in 
such a remarkable manner, that it became notorious to all 
the neighboring nations : For he accompanied his lan- 
guage by visible signs ; and sent bonds and yokes '^ to 
the kings of Edom, Moab, the Amonites, Tyre and Zi- 
don, by the hand of the messengers which came to Jeru- 
salem (from these kings) unto Zedekiah, king of Judah ;'' 
and distinctly foretold, '' that all these nations should serve 
Nebuchadnezzar, and his son, and his son's son." See 
chap, xxvii. 3 — 7. For this pointed prophecy, the Jews 
cast him into prison, where he remained till Nebuchad- 
nezzar took the city of Jerusalem and set him at liberty. 
See chap, xxxix. 11 — 14. Jeremiah was contradicted 
and opposed by several false prophets, whose flattering 
predictions and deceitful delusions persuaded the people 
that no evil should befal them. Upon this, Jeremiah pro- 
phesied that Hananiah, one of these false prophets, should 
die, that same year, and that Ahab the son of Kolaiah, 
and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah should be taken cap- 
tive by Nebuchadnezzar, and slain in sight of the people 
of Judah, and their bodies roasted in the fire. For the 
fulfilment of these predictions, as to time, manner and 
place, you have only to consult chap xxviii. 16, 17. xxix. 
21, 22. By the exact and speedy fulfilment of these sin- 
gular predictions, the prophetic inspiration of this vene- 
rable seer was so clearly and fully established, as never 
afterwards to be doubted by his countrymen. 

One strange prediction of this prophet, and which for a 
tim_e was thought to contradict the prophecy of Ezekiel, 



DIVINE REVELATION. 129 

was that concerning the death of the Jewish king, Zede- 
kiah. Jeremiah prophesied in Jerusalem, at the same 
time in which Ezekiel prophesied in Babylon, and con- 
cerning the same events. The prophecies of Jeremiah 
were sent to the captives in Babylon, and those of Eze- 
kiel to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In their prophecies 
concerning the captivity and death of Zedekiah, they em- 
braced the most minute circumstances in such a manner, 
that they were thought to contradict each other ; by this 
seeming disparity, the attention of the multitude was ex- 
cited to mark the fulfilment of their prophecies. Compare 
Jer. 34. 2-7. and Ezek. xii. 13. Jeremiah announced 
that he should see the king of Babylon, and be carried to 
Babylon : Ezekiel declared that he should not see Baby- 
lon : Jeremiah announced that he should die in peace, 
and be buried after the manner of his ancestors : Eze- 
kiel prophesied that he should die a captive in Babylon. 
Now these apparent discrepancies are all perfectly har- 
monized in the literal fulfilment of every particular part : 
for in the first place, Zedekiah saw the king of Babylon, 
who commanded that his eyes should be put out before 
he was carried to Babylon : In the next place, he died 
in Babylon, in peace, upon his bed, and was allowed the 
funeral solemnities which it had been customary to ob- 
serve for the former kings of Judah. See Jer. xxxix. 4, 7. 
II. Kings XXV. 6, 7. Thus both their predictions, which be- 
fore were thought to be at variance, were so fully and 
minutely fulfilled in every particular, that the Jews felt 
the strongest confidence that these prophets were both 
divinely inspired by the unerring wisdom of Heaven. 

While the prophet Ezekiel was a captive in the land 
of the Chaldeans, he prophesied that those of his country- 
men who were left in Judea should sufl^er the most severe 
chastisements for their wickedness : he announced that 
one third of them should die by pestilence and famine; 
that another ttiird should fall by the sword, and that those 
who remained should be scattered to the four winds, and 
that even in their dispersion, a sword should follow them ! 
And only a few years elapsed before all these evils over- 
took them, according to the literal import of the predic- 
tion^ and were inflicted by the instrumentality of the Chal- 
12* 



130 DEFENCE OF, BlC. 

(leans. The evidence of these facts may be seen by con« 
suiting Ezekiel, 5th and 8th chapters, and Prideaux's 
Connexions, vol. i. pages 80-34, 8th edition. 

The manner in which the Jewish temple should be pro- 
faned by Antiochus Epiphanes, as well as the death of 
that headstrong prince, together with a description of his 
temper, and even of the peculiar countenance by which 
he was distinguished, were clearly foretold by the prophet 
Daniel, more than 400 years before the prediction receiv- 
ed its accomplishment j as may be seen by consulting 
the 8th chapter of his prophecy. Daniel likewise foretold, 
in the 9th chapter, 26th and 27th verses, of his prophecy, 
the destruction of the city of Jerusalem ; the general de- 
solation, not only of the city, but of all the land of Judea, 
together with the final cessation of the sacrifices and obla- 
tions of the Jews. The accomplishment of all these pre- 
dictions is clearly and fully attested by the faithful pages 
of Roman and Jewish history. The prophet Hosea, who 
died before the Babylonish captivity, clearly pointed out 
the present condition of the Jewish nation, in the follow- 
ing remarkable words — remarkable, I say, because they 
apply so plainly and forcibly to their present state — 
" They shall be wanderers,'^ says he, " among the na- 
tions." See chapter ix. 17. 

These are only a few predictions, out of about iivo hun- 
ched^ which relate directly to the Jews and Israelites, to- 
gether with other descendants of Abraham, and which 
constitute such an essential part of the Jewish records. — 
If these prophecies, and prophetical writings can be over- 
thrown, the whole Jewish history must be consigned to 
oblivion. But they have defied the attacks of all ages, 
and are far better attested than the records of any ancient 
nation upon the face of the whole earth. Hence the truth 
of prophecy and inspiration defies the combined efforts of 
all its enemies, and instructs its faithful disciples to pity 
the deception, and pray for the enlightening of all its de- 
luded and misguided opposers. 



liECTFRE XI. 



Hebrews i. 1, 2. 
" God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time 
past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken 
unto us by Ids Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things/' 

Although the miraculous generation of Jesus Christ is 
most sincerely believed by your speaker, still it will not 
be the subject of minute and labored discussion in these 
lectures, since it is not a point on which the credibility of 
the history of the birth, ministry, miracles, labors, death 
and resurrection of the Saviour depends. That he is the 
Son of God, is acknowledged in the creeds of all who as- 
sume the name of Christians, or who profess to depend on 
the divine inspiration of the writings of the New Testa- 
ment. It is therefore deemed unnecessary to call your 
attention to those parts of scripture history which are not 
absolutely susceptible of the most plain and positive proof; 
such as shall defy the arts and evasions of skepticism, and 
place the most prominent and important facts of the histo- 
ry of Christ beyond the power of reasonable and histori- 
cal contradiction. The facts on which we are about to 
remark, were not removed to some remote corner of the 
earth, or to the limits of an empire which has long since 
been consigned to the shades of oblivion, or whose histo- 
ry has been lost in the rubbish of antique fable : But they 
are facts which transpired under the powerful sway of im- 
perial Rome ; when, in point of prosperity, she was at the 
very zenith of her glory, and when she held dominion 
over m.ore than half of the whole globe. 

The remotest parts of Asia had bowed before her stand- 
ards ; diadems were disposed according to the pleasure of 
her emperors ; and her proud eagles had extended their 
wings even over the British Isles, which, in the familiar 
language of scripture, was designated as '^ the ends of the 



132 t>£rENCE OF 

earth." The most powerful and polished nations of the 
earth acknowledged her sovereignty, and trembled at the 
stern mandates of her power. 

At a period, when a general impression prevailed through- 
out the eastern world, that some extraordinary personage 
would soon make his appearance among men, and estab- 
lish a new and more happy form of government ; we date 
the welcome birth and glorious entry of the '' Prince of 
Peace" into our world. 

That such were the anticipations of the whole Jewish 
nation, is too evident to admit of a single doubt. The 
patriarch Jacob, whose predictions Moses had long since 
recorded, taught them to expect that the Shiloh should- 
come, ere the sceptre departed from Judah, or a lawgiver 
from between his feet. 

Whrn the intelligence of the singular star, which was 
seen in the east, was communicated to Herod by the wise 
men, he called the chief priests and scribes of the Jews, 
and demanded of them where Christ should be born. This 
question, it appears, they readily answered, and informed 
him that it was evident that the Messiah was to be born 
in Bethlehem of Judea. They were led to this conclusion 
by the prophecy of Micah, who lived more than 700 years 
before Christ ; and who designated Bethlehem, as the 
place of the Saviour's birth. This fact will appear evi- 
dent, by comparing Micah v. 2 ; with St. Matt li. 5, 6. 

Having settled the question, ivhere the Saviour was to 
be born, according to prophetic authority, and shown that 
the Jewish doctors anticipated that the birth of the Mes- 
siah would be in Bethlehem, we shall now attend to the 
time of his birth, and show by prophetic authority that he 
was expected at about the period in which he made his 
appearance. 

The Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmudists, in fixing 
the time of the Messiah's birth, place it about 4000 years 
from the creation. The Babylonian Doctors supposed 
that Messias would be born about four hundred years af- 
ter the destruction of the first Temple, as may be seen 
bv consulting the dissertation of Dr. Lightfoot on the time 
of Christ's birth. This calculation of the Babylonian 
Doctors^ which placed the coming of Christ about one 



DIVINE REVELATION. 133 

hundred years earlier than the true period of his birth, 
will readily account for the general expectation which ev- 
ery where prevailed, for a considerable time before the 
event transpired. But the testimony on which the whole 
Jewish nation placed their principal reliance, was that 
which was contained in the prophecy of Daniel, 9th chap, 
concerning the seventy wrecks, which, according to the 
custom of prophet reckoning, a day for a year, would fix 
the Messiah's birth at a distance of about four hundred 
and ninety years from the close of the Babylonish cap- 
tivity. 

This period arrived, and the whole nation was anxious- 
ly looking for the appearance of the illustrious Prince, by 
whom they anticipated a speedy and glorious deliverance 
froih all their oppressions. The preaching of John the 
Baptist drew the attention of the doctors and public func- 
tionaries of the Jewish nation, and excited the inquiry, 
whether he were the Christ, or whether they should look 
for another — for they evidently esteemed John as a great 
prophet. These are not the only facts with which we are 
furnished in Scripture, in relation to this event. The ap- 
pearance of a singular star, or luminous body, was allud- 
ed to by Balaam, more than fifteen hundred years before, 
when he beheld in prophetic vision, the future glory of 
the house of Jacob, under the triumphant reign of the 
Prince of Peace. The singular prophecy of Balaam 
seems to have been preserved by the Chaldeans, Per- 
sians, Mesopotamians and Idumeans ; and from the best 
evidences which we can gather out of the ancient records 
and traditions, other nations, as well as the Jews, were 
looking for the appearance of an extraordinary person, or 
Ruler, among the descendants of Jactb. 

I shall here notice a few evidences that such an expec- 
tation was not peculiar to the Jews. Seutonius, a Ro- 
man historian, says, that <' an ancient and settled persua- 
sion prevailed throughout the east, that the Fates had de- 
creed some one to proceed from Judea, who should attain 
universal empire. This persuasion, which the event prov- 
ed" (as this ivriter supposes,) " to respect the Roman Em- 
peror, the Jews applied to themselves and therefore rebel- 
Jed." But the inconsistency of applying this settled and 



134 DEFENCE OF 

prevailing persuasion to the Roman Emperor, is apparent 
to the smallest capacity ; for he tells us plainly, that the 
persuasion was that it should rise out of Judea : there- 
fore, it could have no reference to the Roman Emperor, 
unless it can be shown that the Roman Emperor was a 
Jew. This, however, no man in his senses will attempt 
to prove, or even pretend to believe. 

Tacitus, another Roman historian, furnishes a similar 
passage. He tells us, Book v. that at the time Jerusalem 
was beseiged by Titus, '^ many were under a strong per- 
suasion, that in the ancient books kept by their Priests, a 
prophecy was contained, that at tJiis very time the power of 
the East should prevail^ and out of Judea should spring 
such as IV ere to rule over all nations ;" But he calls this a 
prophetic riddle, by v,'hich Titus and Vespasian were p re- 
figured. Here again you see the same inconsistent con- 
clusion with that of Seutonius : for the prediction suppos- 
ed that this power of universal dominion should spring 
out of Judea. 

The representations of these Roman historians accord 
so perfectly with the prophecy of Daniel, concerning the 
Messiah, that it is difficult to resist the inclination to bring 
them into fellowship, in this department of our labors. 
^' I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the son 
of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the 
Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a king- 
dom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve 
him : his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall 
not be destroyed." Dan. vii. 13, 14. This prediction, in 
connexion with his prophecy o^he seventy weeks j which has 
before been noticed, shows, with great clearness, that a 
character similar to that which was described by Seutoni- 
us, was universally expected among the Jews at about the 
period of the Saviour's birth. 

To place the fact beyond all doubt, that some extraor- 
dinary personage, some illustrious Ruler, who should sway 
the sceptre of rhe globe, was generally expected through- 
out the eastern heathen world, I shall lay before you a 
part of the much admired eclogue of Virgil, written about 
forty years before the birth of Christ. It is supposed to 



DIVINE REVELATION. ISo 

have been composed as a compliment to Marcellus, the 
nephew of Augustus, and son of Octavia. The simple 
fact, that Marcellus was never placed upon the throne of 
the Roman empire ; that he had little to do in the affairs 
of government, and that he died a private man, affords suf- 
ficient evidence that the character here described will not 
apply to him ; nor will it apply to any temporal monarch 
that ever existed upon the earth : Still it evinces that the 
expectation of a glorious and universal ruler prevailed, and 
that the anticipation was ardently indulged by the hea- 
then world. 

'' Sicilian Muses^ let us attempt more exalted strains ! 
The last era foretold in Curaean verse is already arrived. 
The grand series of revolving ages commences aneWi 
Now a new progeny is sent down from lofty heaven. Be 
propitious, chaste Lucina, to the infant boy — by him the 
iron years shall close, and the golden age shall arise upon 
all the world. Under thy consular sway, Pollio, shall this 
glory of the age make hi.S entrance, and the great months 
begin their revolutions. Should any vestiges of guilt 
remain, swept away under thy direction, the earth shall 
be released from fear forever ; and with his Father's vir- 
tues shall he rule the tranquil world. The earth shall 
pour before thee, sweet boy, without culture, her smil- 
ing first fruits. The timid herds shall not be afraid of 
the large fierce lions. The venomous asp shall expire, 
and the deadly^ poisonous plant shall wither. The fields 
shall become yellow with golden ears of corn ; the blush- 
ing grape shall hang over the wild bramble ; and the 
stubborn oak shall distil soft, dewy honey. Yet still shall 
some vestiges of pristine vice remain ; which shall 
cause the sea to be ploughed with ships — towns to be 
besieged — and the face of the earth to be wounded with 
furrows. New wars shall arise — new heroes be sent to 
battle — But when thy makirity is come, every land shall 
produce all necessary things, and commerce shall cease. 
The ground shall not endure the harrow, nor shall the 
vine need the pruning-hook. As they wove their thread, 
the Destinies sang this strain—^' Roll on ye years of felic- 
i^y •'' — Bright offspring of the gods ! thou great increase 
of Jove ! advance to thy distinguished honors ! fornow the 



136 DEFENCE OF 

time approaches ! Behold the vast globe, with its ponder^ 
ous convexity, bows to thee ! the lands — the expansive 
seas — the sublime heavens ! See, how all things rejoice in 
this advancing era ! Oh ! that the closing scenes of along 
life may yet hold out, and so much fire remain, as shall 
enable me to celebrate thy deeds !"^ 

This quotation clearly proves that the Gentiles, as well 
as the Jews, were anxiously and confidently expecting a 
glorious sovereign ; beyond all comparison, wise, benev- 
olent, and powerful ; who should introduce and perpetu- 
ate the golden age, spread peace through all the earth, 
and bring vice and wretchedness to an end. This con- 
clusion will be fully justified by a quotation from Isaiah 
xi. 5-9. Iv. 12, 13, where the happy influence of the Mes- 
siah's reign is described in the most sublime prophetic 
figures ; and from which it has been supposed by some, 
that Virgil drew his elegant description of the golden age. 
^^ Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faith- 
fulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell 
with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the 
kid ; and the calf, and the young lion, and the falling to- 
gether, and a little child shall lead them. And the cow 
and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down 
together ; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And 
the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and 
the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice-den. 
They shall not hurt, nor destroy, in all my holy moun- 
tain : for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the 
Lord, as the waters cover the sea. For ye shall go out 
with joy, and be led forth with peace : the mountains and 
the hills shall break forth before you into singing ; and 
all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead 
of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the 
brier shall come up the myrtle tree." 

Such were the pleasing and prevailing anticipations of 
both Jews and Gentiles, respecting the glorious reign of 
an expected Prince ! But no earthly prince ; no mere 
mortal, could ever answer this description, or banish vice 
and misery from the world : The anticipations, therefore, 
of both Jews and heathens, embraced a being of a higher 

* yirg. Eel. Iv. Pollio, as translated by W. B. Collyer. 



DIVINE REVELATION. 13t 

Mature, and of higher powers, than any which could ever 
be claimed by the mere sons of earth. 

From (he biography of Socrates, the renowned philos- 
opher of Athens, who died 400 years before the birth of 
Christ, we are furnished with a glowing description of the 
illustrious character which was expected, and which could 
alone effect the moral renovation of a sinful world. In 
this description he tells his countrymen—'^ that it is ne- 
cessary to wait till such a personage shall appear to teach 
them how they ought to conduct themselves, both towards 
God and towards man." And then breaks forth in the 
following exclamation : — '* O when shall that period ar- 
rive ! And who shall be that teacher ? How ardently do I 
desire to see this man, who he is !" — In communicating 
his views of this august character, which he expected 
would appear in the world, he expresses an opinion that he 
"must be of higher than human extraction; for that as 
beasts are governed by men, so must man be guided by a 
nature superior to his own." Thus, my hearers, we see, 
that the nations of the east were all expecting a divine 
communication from heaven, and a glorious Prince of 
Peace ; to reform the world, and put an end to the reign 
of sin, of violence and oppression, and to bring mankind 
into a state of harmony and peace — to display the charms 
of moral virtue, and to enjoy all the sweets of social har- 
mony and love. And who, but the Saviour of the world, 
could answer the expectations which universally prevail- 
ed ? Who, but Jesus of Nazareth, could effect this migh- 
ty revolution in the moral world, and bring the nations of 
the earth to obey the perfect law of love ? But I must for- 
bear to expatiate upon these sublime anticipations, and 
pass to notice other facts which are connected with the 
design of this discourse. 

I have before had occasion to allude to the star which 
appeared in the east, and which directed the wise men to 
the place of our Saviour's nativity. In relation to this, I 
shall only ofler a few passing remarks, to show that such 
an appearance is not so singular as to be confined to bib- 
lical history, nor at all improbable, admitting other histo- 
rians to be worthy of credit : For Pliny speaks of" a cer- 
tain splendid comet, scattering its silver hair, and appear- 
13 



138 DEFENCE OF 

ing a god in the midst of men :" And Chalcidius, a Pla-- 
tonic philosopher, mentions '' the rising of a certain star, 
not denouncing death and disease, but the descent of a 
mild and compassionate god to human converse." Now 
putting these accounts with the prophecy of Balaam, which 
was known to the eastern world ; and supposing these 
ivise men, or Magi, what they are generally supposed to 
have been, priests and philosophers ; probably from Me- 
sopotamia, (the country of Balaam,) is there any thing very 
unreasonable in the account which St. Matthew records ? 
It is evident from the plainest facts, that Matthew wrote 
his gospel history, at least, as early as eight years after the 
death of Christ ; and if his narrative had been false, both 
the Jews and the Romans would undoubtedly have con- 
tradicted his testimony. But both Jewish and Roman his- 
torians are silent upon this subject. It is reasonable, 
therefore, to admit his narrative, until some evidence can 
be adduced to invaUdate its truth. 

Connected with the story of the wise men, however, we 
find an account of the cruelty of Herod, which is not re- 
corded by Josephus, nor by Roman historians. And is 
this any evidence that the facts stated by Matthew are 
unworthy of credit .^ Who does not know that Josephus 
recorded such facts as related to the history of the affairs 
of state ; and that the same is true of the Roman histori- 
ans of that age } And who is not equally familiar with the 
fact, that Matthew recorded such transactions only as 
were connected with the history of Jesus Christ ? Jose- 
phus wrote his history more than seventy years after the 
birth of Christ : He must therefore have drawn his facts 
from the Jewish and Roman records. And is it to be sup- 
posed that the frit net S3.nd dependants of Herod, who had 
charge of these registers, would record such acts of cru- 
elty as were not absolutely connected with the affairs of 
state ^ It is not — and we might, with equal propriety 
question other acts of cruelty, in this unfeeling and san- 
guinary prince, which are recorded by Josephus, because 
they are not recorded by St. Matthew. If the character^ 
of Herod were not such as to justify the belief of such 
cruelty, we mi^ht find some excuse for rejecting the nar- 
rative of St. Matthew. But the history of that prince is 



DIVINE REVELATION. 1S9 

a history of cruelty and blood ! The abommable cruelty 
of Herod is not passed in silence by Josephus. He in- 
forms us that Herod slew Hyrcanus, his wife's grand- 
father, at the advanced age of eighty years ! and who had 
saved his life on a former occasion ! That he publicly ex- 
ecuted his amiable wife, Ma.iamne, and privately slaugh- 
tered three of his own children, to gratify a disposition of 
unmanly revenge and detestable jealousy ! And if he 
would not spare his own children, is it reasonable to sup- 
pose that he would spare the children of others— especial- 
ly when he was led to fear a rival in the throne ? Pie was 
doubtless led to fear such a rival, by the inquiry of the 
ivise men^ who demanded to know where he was, '' that 
was born king of the Jews :" and he readily concluded 
that by slaying all the children of Bethlehem, from two 
years old, and under, he should be no longer under the 
dread and suspense of a rival in the throne of Judea. His 
whole character was such as to justify and confirm the 
story of this infant slaughter ; and even the very last act 
of his abominable life, stamps his memory with perpetual 
infamy and disgrace. In his last sickness, just before his 
death, and when all hopes of recovery had fled, he caus- 
ed all the principal men in Judea to be convened and 
shut up in the Circus ; and then called his family togeth- 
er, and said to them, " I know that the Jews will rejoice 
at my death. You have these men in your custody. So 
soon as I am dead, and before it can be known publicly^ 
let in the soldiers upon them, and kill them ! All Judea, 
and every family, will then, although unwillingly, mourn 
my death.'' And the historian adds, ''he conjured them 
by their love to him, and their fidelity to God, not to fail 
to obey his orders !" For the honor of human nature, 
however, we ought to record, that they neglected to obey 
this inhuman and bloody edict. 

After the recital of these historical facts, who can re« 
fleet upon this unnatural monster's disposition, and for a 
moment discredit the cruelty ascribed to him by Matthew.? 
If a solitary voice dare rise in his defence, let them read 
Macrobius, an heathen author of the fourth century, and 
near its close, who declares this cruelty to be well known, 
and a fact of such notoriety as to be indisputable. 



140 I>EFENCE OF 

Many circumstances which are related by Matthew and 
Luke, and which were connected with his birth, must be 
omitted, as they are not absolutely necessary to establish 
the history of the Saviour's life and doctrine :— such as 
the message of the Angel to the shepherds ; the prophe- 
cies of Smieon and Anna ; the journey to Egjpt and re- 
turn lo Judea, and his reasoning with the Jewish Doctors 
in the temple. Passing over these events, I beg leave to 
remark, as preparatory to the introduction of the plain 
and pointed testimony of some of the most conspicuous 
unbelievers of the gospel, while it was in its infancy, that 
you are doubtless loo well acquainted with the plain, sim- 
ple, unstudied and unvarnished narrative of the life, doc- 
trines and miracles of Christ, recorded in the gospel his- 
tory, to render their recital necessary, or even expedient 
in this stage of our labors. I shall therefore call your atten- 
tion to the testimony of Josephus, who was a Jew by birth 
and education, a Priest of the Jewish church, a Pharisee 
in principle, a commander in Judea, afterwards a prisoner 
to the Romans, and present at the taking of Jerusalem, by 
the army of Titus. His. works evince his ability, as a 
scholar, and an accurate and faithful historian. He was 
born a short time (about four years) after the crucifixion 
of Christ, and therefore had an opportunity of being ac- 
quainted with the evidences of the christian religion, and 
the principal facts which were recorded in the history of 
Christ. To the leading facts in that history, he bears the 
following testimony, when writing of what transpired ia 
the days of Pontius Pilate : 

" Now there was about this time, Jesus, a wise man, if 
it be lawful to call him a man ; for he was a doer of won- 
derful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth 
WMth pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the 
Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was (the) Christ. 
And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men 
among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that 
loved him at the first did not forsake him ; for he appear- 
ed to them alive again the third day ; as the divine proph- 
ets had foretold." And he adds, '^ and the tribe of Christ- 
ians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day." See 
AntL^uitieSy Book 18. 



DIVINE REVELATION. 141 

Of this quotation, I shall doubtless be told, that it is aa 
inferpolaiion, and therefore of no authority in confirmation 
of the facts which it is alleged to support. 

r am aware that the opposers of the gospel history have 
affirmed with much apparent confidence, that the passage 
recited from Josephus is an interpolation : But it is an 
affirmation, for the support of which, no solid evidence 
can be adduced. On the other hand, we beg leave to re- 
mind our opposers, that Origen, a man of uncommon learn- 
ing, and critical knowledge, who flourished in the latter 
part of the second^ and to the middle of the third century, al- 
ludes directly to this testimony, in his first book against Cel- 
sus. fiere let me ask the question ; would any writer who 
valued his reputation, dare to make such a reference, at 
a period so near the time in which Josephus lived ; and 
in a controversy with the enemies of Christianity, if no such 
passage were contained in the history of Josephus ? 
Again, would not the watchful and malignant opposers of 
Christianity, instantly have detected the fraud of such an 
interpolation, if such fraud had been committed, and gladly 
have employed it to brand with infamy the christian 
cause ? They certainly would, since they must have 
known that the detection of such a fraud would have been 
of more service to the cause of infidelity than all other 
facts and arguments to which they could appeal. This 
objection, therefore of our opposers, only weakens their 
own cause, and strengthens that which it was intended to 
destroy. Other evidences in confirmation of the gospel 
history^ will be reserved as the subject of our next lec- 
ture. 

13* 



L.ECTURE Xir. 



Hebrews i. 1, 2. 

*^God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time 
past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in tliese last days spoken 
unto us by las Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things." 

In the closing part of my last Lecture, I had occasion 
to quote the testimony of Josephus, concerning the cha- 
racter and ministry of Christ, as well as his condemna- 
tion, crucifixion, and resurrection from the dead, in the 
days, and under the administration of Pontius Pilate, who 
was at that time procurator of Judea. I also anticipated 
and answered the objection which has been alleged to the 
genuineness of that testimony, by referring to the writings 
of Origen, one of the most celebrated authors of the early 
part of the third century. 

I shall now present you with the same kind of evidence, 
from several authors of great respectability, who have ap- 
pealed to Josephus for the confirmation of the principal 
events recorded in the history of the Saviour. 

Justin Martyr, who had been a heathen philosopher in 
Samaria, but afterwards became an able and zealous ad- 
vocate for the gospel ; and who, in the time of a most 
bloody persecution, appeared before the Emperor Antoni- 
nus, and successfully pleaded the cause of the oppressed 
and persecuted christians ; in his dialogue with Trypho, 
says to the Jews, *' You knew that Jesus was risen from 
the dead, and ascended into heaven, as the prophecies did 
foretel was to happen." This author suffered martyrdom 
in the year 162, 

Origen, in his commentary on Matthew, quotes verba- 
tim the language of Josephus, as recorded in his twentieth 
Book of xlntiquities, concerning the death of James the 
Jiisf^ where the historian calls him '^ the brother of Jesus, 
who is called Christ.'*^ Again — the passage which we 



DIVINE REVELATION. 143 

have before quoted from Josephus, concerning the life^ 
condemnation and crucifixion of the Saviour, under Pon- 
tius Pilate, is quoted by Eusebius, a native of Palestine, 
Bishop of Cesarea, who died in the early part of the 
fourth century, both in his commentary on Matthew, and 
in his ecclesiastical history. Ambrose, who wrote about 
the year 360^ — Hieronym, who wrote about the year 400 
- — Isidore, a disciple and pupil of Chrysostom, who wrote 
about the year 410 - Sozomen, an ecclesiastical historian^ 
who wrote in the early part of the fifth century — all quote 
the same testimony of Josephus, with the utmost confi- 
dence of its truth, as well as many others who followed 
them, down to the sixteenth century : If this passage were 
an interpolation, as some have pretended, how should it 
happen that all the early writers should appear so totally 
ignorant of the fact ? Would not some of the early ene- 
mies of Christianity have alleged the charge of deception 
against these christian writers, who appealed to this pas- 
sage in Josephus ? And is it not an unavoidable conclu- 
sion that a controversy upon the merits of this famous pas- 
sage would have come down to us, provided the genuine- 
ness of its character had been challenged in the early ages 
of the christian church ? Such appears to be the only con- 
clusion to which we are directed by impartial reason. 

There are a few other facts to which I will now invite 
your attention. The same emperors, kings, governors, 
procurators, civil magistrates, and ecclesiastical function- 
aries, which are mentioned in the New Testament history, 
are likewise mentioned by Josephus, and the same periods 
assigned by both for their lives and public acts It also 
appears that all the books of the New Testament, except 
the Apocalypse of St. John, were written and extensively 
circulated previous to the death of Josephus : So that 
had they been susceptible of the charge of forgerv, that 
historian would have detected the imposture and exploded 
the deception. But on the contrary, he bears his testimo- 
nv to so many of the important farts which the gosnel 
history contains, as fairly to establish their entire "credi- 
bility. 

I will here notice a few of them which have escaped 
the charge of forgery and the suspicion of interpolation ; 



144 DEFENCE OF 

and which, of themselves, furnish incontrovertible evi- 
dence oi the credibility of the gospel history. 

Josephus records the name of John the Baptist ; that 
he was a baptizer, and preached the remission of sins to 
those who received his baptism : This may be seen by 
consulting the eiohttenth book of his Antiquities. In the 
same book he mentions the extensive influence which John 
the Baptist had obtained over the minds of the multitude ; 
the unlawful marriage of Herod, to Herodias, his brother 
Piiilip's wife, and his inhumanity in casting John into pris- 
on, and the order for his being put to death : Healso as- 
serts that John the Baptist was a most righteous man, and 
one whom all men esteemed for his piety. These facts 
accord so well with the gospel history, that whoever re- 
jects the one, must reject the other also. 

In h'\s twentieth Book, he records the massacre of James 
the Just, wh« m he calls ''the brother of Jesus, who was 
called Christ ;" and expresses an opinion which prevailed 
among the Jews, that Jerusalem was destroyed as a pun- 
ishment for his murder. This James is mentioned in the 
New Testament, as the brother and apostle of Christ ; 
and one of his epistles is now numbered with the canoni- 
cal booi-s of the New Testament. He was the first who 
filled the office of Bishop of Jerusalem ; was universally 
esteemed for his piety, and was put to death in the year 
sixty-two. To these facts, iicenfy-foiir ecclesiastical wri- 
ters and historians appeal in succession, previous to the 
fourteenth century : Nor has their truth ever been called 
in question by a single writer of note. The facts are 
therefore too plain for denial, so long as the voice of his- 
tory is allow^ed to be received in evidence. These are a 
few of the leading and important facts recorded in the 
evangelical history, and to which an nnbelieving Jew felt 
himself under the necessity of bearing testimony, while 
recording the public acts of Herod and Pontius Pilate. 
They carry with them such plain and evident marks of 
truth, that skeptics have found it necessary, either to pass 
them in silence, or attempt to weaken the credibility of 
this historian, by branding him with the charge of super- 
stition. But his character as an historian is too well es- 
tablished, to be in the least shaken by such feeble at- 
tempts. 



DIVINE REVELATION. 145 

Tacitus, the celebrated Roman historian, who flourish- 
ed as a writer and public advocate, about Jiflij years after 
the crucifixion of Christ, notwithstanding his bitter enmi- 
ty to, and abhorrence of christians, has recorded such 
facts relating to its origin and rapid progress, as must for 
ever silence the clamor of those who are idle enough to 
pretend that Christ was an obscure individual, or that his 
religion was little known during the first century. For 
this author tells us in his ffleenth book, when speaking of 
those people who were called christians — " The founder 
of this name was Christ, one who in the reign of Tibe- 
rius suffered death as a criminal, under Pontius Pilate, 
Imperial Procurator of Judea, and, for a while, the pesti- 
lent superstition was quelled, but revived again and spread, 
not only over Judea, where it was first broached, but even 
through Rome." The historian is here writing of a peri- 
od when Christianity was in its infancy, and during the 
life-time of some of the apostles. He describes in glow- 
ing colors the cruelty of Nero, who, having set fire to 
the city of Rome, that he might be gratified with a spec- 
tacle of what he had read concerning the burning of Troy, 
attempted to cast the odium upon the innocent followers 
of our Lord. In this, the monster was but too successful, 
and a vast multitude of christians of difl^erent ages and 
sexes, suffered the most cruel torture and death. Their 
sufferings are thus described by the historian. " First 
therefore were seized, such as freely owned their sect ; 
then, a vast multitude by them discovered ; and all were 
convicted" — (not of the imputed crime of burning Rome, 
but of being christians, which was mistaken for hatred to 
mankind.) The historian adds — ''To their death and 
torture were added the aggravations of cruel derision and 
sport ; for, either they were disguised in the skins of sav- 
age beasts, and were exposed to expire by the teeth of 
devouring dogs ; or they were hoisted up alive, and nailed 
to crosses ; or wrapped in combustible vestments, and set 
up as torches, that when the day set, they might be kin- 
dled to illuminate the night. For presenting this tragical 
spectacle, Nero had lent his own gardens, and exhibited 
at the same time the public diversion of the Circus, some- 
times driving a chariot in person, and, at intervals, stand- 



146 DEFENCE OF 

ing as a spectator amongst the vulgar, in the habit of a 
charioteer. Hence it proceeded, that towards the misera- 
ble sufferers, popular commiseration arose, as for a people 
who, with no view to the utility of the state, but only to 
gratify the bloody spirit of one man, were doomed to per- 
ish." 

Here Tacitus informs us that the christian sect was 
founded by Christ, who was put to death under the reign 
of Pontius Pilate ; that the sect became so numerous in a 
short time, as to spread throughout all the country of Ju- 
dea ; that vast numbers of them were found at Rome, in 
the reign of JWro, and suffered the most cruel and fright- 
ful deaths to gratify the hellish and unnatural revenge of 
the most ungodly assassin that ever disgraced the history 
of man ; and that they suffered without being guilty of the 
crime with which they were charged. Let us here mark 
a few facts which are worthy of special notice : This wri- 
ter was a pagan, bitterly opposed to the religion of Christ, 
born about twenty years after the crucifixion, and about 
the time that Nero acceded to the empire of Rome : Had 
access to all the sources of correct information, and was 
doubtless well acquainted with all the facts which he re- 
lates of the history of the christians. His unbelief of the 
gospel, and his superstitious attachment to pagan idolatry, 
will readily account for all the reproaches which he heaps 
upon the early christians : But it cannot be denied, that 
when an open enemrj bears witness to the truths which the 
evanorelical historians have recorded, and especially when 
he testifies the innoance of those whom he hates, he is fully 
entitled to the credit of his readers : for no man can rea- 
sonably be suspected of falsehood, when he gives evidence 
in favour of a cause which he obviously wishes to condemn. 
With these facts, supplied by the testimony of the bitterest 
enemies to Christianity, respecting the origin and early 
extensive progress of the gospel ; supplied too, by men of 
undoubted learning, ability and historical knowledge ; hy- 
men who lived in the asfe of the aoostles and their associ- 
ates — with these important and interesting facts staring 
them in the face, how is it, that modern skeptics dare de- 
nv the plain anrl -^ifo »l*^ truths of the gospel history, and at- 
tempt to persuade us that the whole story is a falsehood 



DIVINE REVELATION. 14t 

and a cheat ? They must be either ignorant of history, lost 
to reason, or enemies to themselves and mankind. 

It is well known that the Jews were among the most bit- 
ter enemies of Christ and his followers. To them, the 
miracles of Jesus and his disciples were daily exhibited ; 
and the inference is unavoidable, that couid they have de- 
nied their reality with the least prospect of success, they 
would not have failed to improve the slightest pretext for 
so doing. So far were they from denying these miracles, 
however, that the Mishna, a collection of Jewish traditions, 
made by Rabbi Jekuda, in about the year 180, besides a 
commentary on the same, both fully acknowledge their ex- 
istence ; but the one attributes them to a concert with 
Beelzebub, as the envious Jews, in whose presence these 
miracles were performed, had before done, while the other 
asserts them to be the effect of magic. These books, 
which were written with so much enmity to the christian 
religion, acknowledge the existence of Christ, as the au- 
thor of a new religion, ; bear testimony to his miracles ; 
speak of the state of the Jews as being the same which is 
described by the Evangelists ; mention the disciples as 
having followed Christ and wrought miracles in his name ; 
speak of the destruction of Jerusalem ; testify the rise and 
extensive prevalence of Christianity, and bear witness to 
the constancy of the early professors of that religion. To 
this acknowledgment of important facts, by the bitter op- 
posers of Christianity, Origen appeals with confidence, 
and urges them as an undeniable evidence of the truth of 
the christian history. 

Justin Martyr, whom we have mentioned before, enga- 
ged in controversy with the philosophers of his age, and 
especially with Crescens, the cynic, whom he challenged 
to debate the cause of Christianity with him before the 
Roman senate : But Crescens, though one of the most 
learned and acute philosophers of the age, did not see fit 
to accept the offer, which he undoubtedly would have 
done, had he thought there was any probability of detect- 
ing any palpable forgeries in the writings of the evangel- 
ists. This challenge was given a little more than 100 
years after our Saviour's crucifixion. This advocate for 
the christian cause, in his Apology, when speaking of the 



14S DEFEx^CE 0^ 

sufferinors of Christ, refers the emperor to the acts of Pon- 
tius Pilate, which were then extant, for a full confirma-^ 
lion of the facts of that tragical event, the crucifixion of 
Christ. Tertulian, who wrote his Apology about fifty 
years after, speaks likewise of the acts of Pilate, and tells 
us that the emperor Tiberius, having received an account 
of Jesus, out of Palestine, threatened to punish the accu- 
sers of the christians ; that he paid him particular regard^ 
and would have admitted him into the number of the gods 
which he worshipped, had not the senate rejected the pro- 
posal. It is here proper to remark, that the " acts of Pi- 
late," to which we have referred, had perished before the 
days of Eusebius, though this historian mentions them as 
having been formerly well known. The modern work, 
bearing this title, is therefore evidently spurious. 

I will now present you with a part of a letter, writteri 
between 70 and 80 years after the death of Christ, by 
Pliny the younger, a zealous pagan idolator, and address- 
ed to the emperor Trajan, concerning the christians, 
which affords a clear and ample proof of their numbers 
and their innocence, notwithstanding the unrighteous ca- 
lumnies which were heaped upon them by the enemies of 
the gospel. He informs the emperor that multitudes we*re 
brought before him, and accused of being christians, and 
gives an account of the manner of his proceedings with 
them. " I asked them, (says he,) whether they were 
christians or not f If they confessed that they were christ- 
ians, I asked them again, and a third time, intermixing 
threatenings with the questions : If they persevered in 
their confession, I ordered them to be executed ; for I 
did not doubt but, let their confession be of any sort what- 
ever, this positiveness and inflexible obstinacy deserved 
to be punished. There have been some of this mad sect 
whom I took notice of in particular as Roman citizens, 
that they might be sent to that city. After some time, as 
is usual in such examinations, the crime (ofbeins^ chrisi- 
ians^) spread itself, and many more cases came before 
me, though without an author, containing many names 
[of persons accused.] However, they assured me, that 
the main of their fault, or of their mistake, was this, that 
they were wont, on a stated day, to meet together before 



PIVINE REVELATION. 149 

it was light, and to sing an hymn to Christ, as to a god, 
alternately ; and to oblige themselves by a sacrament [or 
oath] not to do any thing that was ill, but that they would 
commit no theft, or pilfering or adultery ; that they would 
not break their promise, or deny what was deposited with 
them, when it was required back again : After which it was 
their custom to depart, and to meet again at a common, 
but innocent meal, which yet they had left off upon that 
edict which I had published at your command, and where- 
in I had forbidden any such conventicles. These exami- 
nations made me think it necessary to inquire by tor- 
ments, what the truth was, which I did of two servant 
maids, which w^re called deaconesses ; but still I discov- 
ered no more, than that they were addicted to a bad and 
an extravagant superstition. Hereupon I have put off 
any farther examinations, and have recourse to you, for 
the affair seems to be well worth consultation, especially 
on account of the number of those that are in danger ; for 
there are many of every age, of every rank, and of both 
sexes, which are now and hereafter likely to be called to 
account, and to be in danger ; for this superstition is 
spread like a contagion, not only in cities and towns, but 
into the country villages also, which yet there is reason 
to hope may be stopped and corrected." 

In this letter, you perceive that no crime is alleged 
against them, and that the innocence of their lives is at- 
tested by one who abhorred their religion to such a de- 
gree that he ordered those to be executed who persisted 
in professing their faith in Christ : And this he did until 
he found the christians so numerous that he shuddered at 
the thought of destroying such a multitude : Their num- 
bers may easily be imagined, by the notice which Pliny 
gives the emperor in this same epistle ; for he apprises 
him that the heathen temples were almost entirely de- 
serted. 

I have not introduced the testimony of Pliny, as a direct 
nnd positive evidence of the truth of what the evangelists 
have recorded concerning Christ, but as a circumstantial 
evidence which carries with it all the force of positive 
proof: for it would baffle the most profound ingenuity to 
account for the numbers and practice of these christians, 
14 



150 BEFENCE OF 

at so earlj a period too, if their faith and practice were 
not founded upon the commands and instructions of Christ 
and his apostles, or if they had not been in possession of 
the most incontrovertible evidence of the facts of that his- 
tory : For never was it known that men suffered the most 
cruel persecution and death, in the defence of what they 
knew or believed to be false, when they could be restored 
to liberty and life, by a simple recantation of what they 
had professed. The only solution of their constancy in 
the faith and practice of Christianity, is, they had receiv- 
ed these truths from the apostles and their associates, con- 
firmed by occuiar demonstrations of miraculous power. 

I shall now proceed to lay before you the testimony of 
another witness, the force of whose evidence bids defi- 
ance to the whole host of modern skeptics, either to resist 
or evade. He was a pagan philosopher, of the Epicurean 
school ; flourished in the second century, and wrote in the 
character of a Jew, undoubtedly for the purpose of enlist- 
ing in his favor, all the prejudices of that ill-fated people. 
His studied and malignant attack on Christianity was tri- 
umphantly refuted by Origen, in the early part of the 
third century. He has uniformly been considered as a 
file-leader in the ranks of infidelity, and was confessedly 
acquainted with all the evidences, both for and against the 
gospel history, as well as the arguments which were em- 
ployed by both Jews and pagans, to invalidate the truth of 
the gospel. His testimony, therefore, must be of essen- 
tial service, since it embraces the leading facts which are 
contained in the writings of the Evangelists and Apostles, 
and which were well known and publicly taught, to the 
very period in which he wrote. The name of this philos- 
opher will never perish, so long as any controversy is 
maintained between the friends and enemies of revealed 
religion : For its enemies will never cease to execrate the 
memory of Celsus, since he has given a death blow to all 
their pretensions that the gospel history is a forget^, by 
acknowledging the authority of all its leading facts : Nor 
will its friends forbear appealing to his testimony, since 
the leading truths for which they contend are confirmed 
by the pen of one of the bitterest and best informed ene- 
mies of the christian religion. The following concessions 



BIVmE REVELATION. 151 

of Celsus, are embodied from the writings of Origen, by 
Rev. T. Dwight, D. D. late President of Yale College, 
in an oration, delivered at New-Haven, Con. 1793. 

Celsus '' testifies that there were books, written by the 
disciples of Christ, containing an account of his life and 
actions, his own discourses and words ; particularly sev- 
eral predictions of his ; his name, Logos, or the Word of 
God ; his genealogy, and that of Mary, his mother. He 
further testiiies, that he was born of a virgin, and was re- 
puted to be the son of a carpenter ; that the Chaldeans 
were reported to have come, and Vi'orshipped him, when 
he was an infant ; that Herod the tetrarch, being informed 
of this, ordered all, who had been born in that village, 
about that time, to be killed, intending to kill him, lest he 
should afterwards take the government ; that he was car- 
ried into Egypt, lest he should be killed ; that Angels 
were sent, on this account ; that he was baptized by John ; 
that the Holy Spirit descended on him, in the shape of a 
dove ; that a voice from heaven, declared him to be the 
Son of God ; that he was very poor ; went about from 
place to place ; took to himself ten or eleven abjects, or 
low people ; healed diseases, and raised the dead ; fed 
multitudes with a few loaves, of which large fragments 
were left ; was called a Nazarene ; represented himself 
as sent not to call the righteous, but sinners to repent- 
ance ; forba<le the anxious pursuit of riches ; exposed the 
difficulty of obtaining immortal life by the rich ; was call- 
ed upon to show a sign in the temple ; was deserted, de- 
nied, and betrayed, by his companions ; was derided, clad 
in a purple robe, crowned with thorns, had a reed put in- 
to his hands ; thirsted, and had gall and vinegar given to 
him ; that blood flowed from his side ; that he died a 
shameful death, and was reviled at his death ; that he 
foreknew, and foretold his sufferings ; rose again from the 
dead ; shewed himself to a woman, and to several others ; 
showed the marks of the nails ; breathed on his disciples ; 
was the first Author of the Christian persuasion ; taught 
the doctrine but a few years before Celsus wrote ; was at 
that time esteemed superior to Angels, reckoned to be the 
Son of God, and called a God ; and that one Angel, and, 
in another place, two, were said to appear at the sepuf- 



l52 



DEFENCE 01^ 



chre of Jesus.— Celsas, also, testifies further, that the 
doctrine of the resurrection of the body, and of a future, 
immortal life, founded on the life, death, and preaching of 
Christ, was recorded by his disciples ; that many Jews 
believed on him, and forsook the worship of their own 
country ; that his followers were, at first, few in number, 
and of one mind ; that they afterwards became numerous^ 
spread abroad, and were divided in opinion ; that they 
customarily met together, in assemblies, and there taught 
things agreeable to their sentiments ; that they were for- 
bidden to partake in idol-feasts, and refused to join in 
idol-worship ; and that the Jews were punished for the 
crucifixion of Jesus." 

Such, my hearers, is the testimony of an early cham- 
pion of pagan infidelity, and the first whom history records 
as having reduced his opposition to any thing like the 
form of a systematic attack upon the cause of Christianity. 
Its importance in establishing the narrative of the birth, 
life, labors, miracles, death and resurrection of Christ, is 
so obvious to the most ordinary capacity, that it can be 
viewed in no other light than that of an unwilling tribute 
of acknowledgment to the truth of the plain and unvarnished 
history which the disciples of Christ have fefl us of their 
Master. — As we shall have occasion to notice his testimo- 
ny again, we shall now pass to notice the confessions of 
other early infidel writers, who have equally confirmed 
the great and leading facts which relate to the history of 
Jesus Christ. 

Julian, who was educated a Christian, and whose ed- 
ucation was both extensive and refined, as soon as he as- 
cended the throne of the Roman empire, declared himself 
a Pagan, and laboured to suppress and destroy the chris- 
tian religion. His testimony, therefore, cannot be sus- 
pected of any design to favor the cause which he labored 
to ruin and annihilate. But his evidence is, if possible, 
more unfortunate to the cause of infidelity than that of 
Celsus : For he bears a direct and positive testimony not 
only to ma7iy of the facts recorded by the Evangelists, but 
to the general history, so as to leave no ground for suspic- 
ion that the facts which it contains were the production of 
fraud or imposture , since the rank which he sustained^ 



DIVINE REVELATION. loS 

and the learning that distinguished hixn, were such as to 
place him in possession of all the evidence which could be 
obtained, in favor, or against Christianity. With all these 
advantages, this early apostate from Christianity declares 
that '^ Christ was born in the reign of Augustus, and at the 
time of taxing, or enrolment, made by Cyrenius or Quiri- 
nus ; that the christian religion arose, in the time of Ti- 
berius and Claudius ; that the historical books of the New 
Testament were genuine and authentic ; that they were 
the only historical books, acknowledged, as of sacred au- 
thority, by the Christians, and the only authentic memoirs 
of Christ and his Apostles ; that the gospels were written 
as early as is generally believed ; and particularly, that 
John's, the last, was written soon after the death of Peter 
and Paul. He also testifies, that Christ cured the blindj 
the lame and the possessed, rebuked the winds, and walk- 
ed on the waves ; that there were multitudes of Christians 
in Greece, and in Italy, before John wrote his gospel ; 
that besides persons in humble life, Cornelius and Sergius 
Paulus were christians ; and that Peter and Paul were 
the great preachers of Christianity."* 

These are the testimonies of a Pagan Emperor, who 
died in the year 363. His design was, to overthrow the 
gospel ; but he has strengthened and confirmed the histo- 
ry which the Evangelists wrote. And it is just to remark, 
that all the arguments which he has employed against the 
christian religion, are entirely harmless, since they are 
totally insufficient to unsettle the faith, or to weaken the 
confidence of the most feeble christian. 

Hierocles, a violent enemy of the gospel, and persecu- 
tor of christians, who wrote against Christianity in the 
fourth century ; mentioned by Lactantius and Eusebius ; 
and Porphery, another writer against Christianity, who 
died at the beginning of the/owHA century ; both acknowl- 
edge, in common with Celsus and Julian, the genuineness 
and authenticity of the historical books of the New Tes- 
tament. And it will doubtless be inquired, if these wri- 
ters acknowledged the writings of the Evangelists to be 
authentic, and consequently admitted the truth of the mir- 
acles of Christ and his apostles, in confirmation of his di- 
*See Dr. Lardner's Credibility of the Gospel History. 
14* 



Id4 DEFENCE OP 

vine commission and doctrine, how could they possibi/ 
disbelieve the gospel which he taught and enforced by 
these miracles ? I answer ; they readily evaded the force 
of the argument, in favor of the gospel, drawn from these 
miracles, by attributing all the miracles of Christ and his 
apostles, to the power of magic ! And Celsus gravely pre- 
tends to believe that Christ went to Egypt and there 
learned the arts of magic, by which he succeeded in estab- 
lishing his religion among the credulous part of the Jews. 

Now what can modern skeptics do with these facts ? 
Their leaders, their philosophers, their early champions 
of infidelity, have established the truth recorded of the 
whole life, the death and resurrection of Christ, and have 
nothing left but the plea of magic ^ to justify their infidelity ! 
Of this the modern schools of infidelity are ashamed ; for 
they are wise enough to reject the silly pretension, that 
by magic arts, miracles, bearing the indelible stamp of 
the most God-like benevolence, were ever performed. 
They are as far from believing that the power of magic 
ever gave life to the dead, hearing to the deaf, light to 
them that were born blind, cleansing to lepers^, healing to 
the sick, soundness of limbs to the helpless cripple, res- 
toration to the withered hand, or satisfied the hunger of 
thousands with the scanty store of five loaves and two 
small fishes, as are the most humble and devoted follow- 
ers of Christ. Of course, they will not thank these early 
champions of infidelity for the ruin and disgrace which 
they have introduced into the camp of the enemies of re- 
vealed religion. They must, however, bend under this 
unwelcome burden, till they can so far divest themselves 
of candor and reason, as to reject all the evidence of sa- 
cred and profane history, and relieve, or rather sear their 
consciences, by an utter rejection and denial of whatever 
does not transpire under their own immediate notice and 
inspection. For if they allow the authority of historical 
evidence, their file-leaders and prototypes have destroyed 
the cause of infidelity, by bearing testimony to the truth of 
the christian history. 

I have now laid before you the testimony of the princi- 
pal and best informed historians, as well as other writers 
of note, who flourished from the time of the crucifixion of 



DIVINE REVELATION. 155 

Christ, down to the close of the fourth century. Besides 
the writings of some of the most celebrated among the 
early christians, I have quoted you the acknowledgments 
of Josephus, in confirmation of the history of Christ ; an 
author, who, for his candor and extensive knowledge, 
richly deserves to be styled the prince of Jewish historians. 
I have also given you the testimony of Rabbi Jekuda, au- 
thor of the Mishna, and a most bitter enemy of t*he christ- 
ian religion, who, with all his bitterness, has confessed 
the principal facts recorded by the evangelical historians. 
To these, I have added the evidence of Tacitus, Pliny, 
Celsus, Julian, Hierocles and Porphery ; sto? of the best 
informed historians and polemical pagan writers who liv- 
ed during, and soon after the apostolic age ; all professed 
enemies to the christian religion, yet all uniting in their 
acknowledgments of the genuineness and authenticity of 
th6 gospel history, and recording precisely the same 
facts concerning the birth, preaching, miracles, trial, 
condemnation, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, which 
are given to us in the writings of the evangelists. Other 
heathen testimonies might be added to the list, but they 
are deemed unnecessary, since those whom we have al- 
ready quoted are allowed to be the best and most accu- 
rate writers of the periods in which they lived. And I 
may here be allowed to remark, that no writer of note, 
pretended to deny the authenticity of the gospel history, 
for the space of 400 years from the birth of Christ : Their 
only weapons against Christianity, were satire, scurrility 
and persecution ; and their only defence against the ar- 
gument drawn from the astonishing miracles of Christ and 
his apostles, was a superstitious and imbecile appeal to 
the devil, and the power of mastic \ With superstitious Jews 
and ignorant pagans, this answered for a time, and the 
cause of infielity was kept in countenance by means which 
modern skeptics would blush to acknowledge : No alter- 
native is lefl for them, but to renounce their ancient Fa- 
thers, and set up for themselves, by denying the credibili- 
ty of all history, both sacred and profane ; till they rashly 
plunge into the fearful gulf of x4theisticat. Infidelity ! 
Indulge me, my hearers, in a brief summary of the 
leading events which are recorded in the history of Christ 



15G DEFENCE OF 

and his early followers. The evangelists have given us 
a plain and unvarnished narrative of the birth of their 
Master ; the place of his birth ; his baptism by John j his 
manner of life ; his discourses ; his miracles of mercy, of 
healing and raising the dead ; his prophecies, which have 
all been fulfilled, except those which relate to the final 
conquest of his truth and grace ; the accusations of his 
enemies ; the purity of his lite ; his trial before Pilate ; 
his crucifixion ; his resurrection, and ascension : — Facts 
which were publicly known and testified by an immense 
number of witnesses in Judea, and in a few years spread 
over the whole Roman empire, though opposed by all the 
engines of torture which the malice of Jews and heathens 
could invent : Facts which could not be resisted by rea- 
son nor evidence, because attested by thousands of living 
wi nesses, and clearly demonstrated by the miraculous 
displays of almighty power, the seal of Heaven's appro- 
bation ! In a word, facts which were acknowledged for 
centuries, even by the enemies of Christ, and the ablest 
champions of early infidelity ! 

These, my hearers, are some of the leading evidences to 
which your attention has been called, to assist you in 
judging of the credibility of the gospel history, or history 
of the Saviour's life : And I appeal to your sober judgment 
to determine whether this history is not supported by 
stronger and more ample testimony than that of any other 
being that ever existed upon the face of the earth : And 
whether it is not evident beyond all reasonable doubt, and 
beyond the power of all historical contradiction, that the 
gospel and mission of Christ were stamped with the in- 
delible seal of divine authority I 

After all, will the enemies of revelation still invite and per- 
suade you to renounce the faith of the christian religion r 
With what pretensions can they attempt to shake your 
confidence ? Do they offer you an equivalent for your 
hope ? Will they pretend that history justifies them in a 
denial of these truths ? They will not ; they dare not thus 
insult your understanding : For they know, (if they are 
acquainted with history) that their whole system is noth- 
ing more than a catalogue of captious objections, support- 
ed by nothing but vulgar witticisms and unmanly satire : 



r 



DIVINE REVELATION. 157 

And they presume to depend on the ignorance and pride 
of the multitude, for their success. But the light of reason, 
truth and science, will break the fatal charm which they 
are attempting to throw around you, and disappoint ail 
their fond delusive dreams. 

There are other, and essential evidences of the truth of 
the gospel, which remain to be considered ; but they will 
naturally fall into the design of our next lecture, and will 
therefore be omitted in the present discourse. 

In closing this lecture, I feel myself irresistibly inclined 
to invite your attention to the closing scene of the Saviour's 
life, and to a few reflections upon the astonishing phe- 
nomenon which attended the tragical scene of his death 
upon the cross, when ^' he poured out his soul," {his life,) 
for a guilty world. Besides the occurrence of a tremen- 
dous earthquake, evincing the sympathies of nature ; for 
three long hours, the splendors of the king of day were 
veiled in darkness, for which no natural or astronomical 
cause could be assigned. For, let it be remembered, that 
Christ was crucified on the day of the Jewish passover ; 
and that this feast was observed on the fourteenth day of 
the month, which, according to the Jewish mode of reck- 
oning, from the first appearance of the new moon, must 
have happened precisely at the time of her full, when she 
was opposite to the sun, and therefore precluded the possi- 
bility of an eclipse of the sun : for an eclipse of the sun 
can only take place, when the moon passes between the 
earth and that luminous body. At the time of the cruci- 
fixion, therefore, the earth being between the sun and the 
moon, an eclipse of the former would be utterly impossible, 
according to the fixed laws of astronomy. Again, we are 
informed by the historians, that the darkness continued for 
the space of three hours : But the total darkness of an 
eclipse, never continues more than about fifteen minuteSj 
which proves that it must have been a miraculous, and not 
an ordinary eclipse. To evince or rather strengthen the 
reality of this phenomenon, I beg leave to quote you the 
testimony of Phlegon, an able and learned astronomer^ 
who flourished under the emperor Trajan, and who asser- 
ted, that ^'in the fourth year of the ^Oid Oh mpiad," the 
very year of the crucifixion, <^ there was such a total eclipse 



15B DEFENCE or, S^C. 

of the sun at noon day, that the stars were plainly visible.'' 
This testimony is preserved in the writings of Origen. In 
addition to this, Suidas informs us, that Dionysius, the 
Areopagite, an Athenian of great note, being at Heliopolis 
in Egypt, at the periodof the crucifixion, exclaimed, when 
he witnessed this surprising phenomenon, " either the Au- 
thor of nature is suffering, or he sympathizes with some 
one who does, — or the frame of the world is dissolving." 

Such, my friends^ is the evidence with which we are 
furnished of the great events recorded in the early his- 
tory of the religion which we profess : And truly, the suf- 
ferings and death by which its divine authority is sealed, 
ought to excite the liveliest gratitude of our hearts, and 
awake the slumbering energies of our souls, for its pro- 
pagation and defence. It is the sacred charter of our 
dearest ho})es, the pledge of God's impartial and unboun- 
ded love. Its prospects cheer the abodes of poverty and 
misfortune, add a sacred and divine enjoyment to all the 
blessings of Providence, impart contentment and resigna- 
tion under all the allotments of unerring wisdom, arm 
the soul with fortitude to sustain the severest trials of life, 
inspire the mind with exalted conceptions of the great 
Divinity, and furnish the assurance of a better inherit- 
ance beyond the stormy regions of this changeful and im- 
perfect scene of mortal existence ! How blissful, how glo- 
rious the hope, which this holy religion inspires ! Com- 
pared with its heavenly prospects, how sinks the earth, 
v/ith all its boasted joys, to vanity and insignificance ! 
The one is like the misty cloud, that vanishes before the 
rays of the morning sun ; but the other pours forth show- 
ers of salvation, or emits unfading beams of glory and 
infinite delight ! Angels hail with joyful notes, with tran- 
sports of immortal wonder, the full redeeming power of 
the Son of G >d, and swell in strains seraphic, the mighty 
conquests of his victorious grace ! — Be this enrapturing 
hope our joy in time j our consolation and support in 
death ; and its boundless fruition, our everlasting portion 
in eternity ! 



LECTURE XIII. 



St. Luke i. 1-4. 

" Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a decla- 
ration of those things which are most surely beheved among* us, even 
as they dehvered them unto us, which from the beginning were eye- 
witnesses and ministers of the word ; it seemed good to me also, 
having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to 
write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou 
mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been 
instructed." 

The design of this Lecture is to treat of the evidences 
by which the genuineness and authenticity of the books of 
the New Testament are supported, and to notice, as oc- 
casion may require, such external and internal evidences 
of the divine authority and inspiration of the gospel as may 
present themselves in the progress of our discussions. 

I have before adduced the testimony of both the friends 
and enemies of the christian religion, to establish all the 
leading and essential facts which are recorded in the gos- 
pel history, and which are all-sufficient to place that sub- 
ject beyond the power of reasonable or historical contra- 
diction. We shall therefore proceed to notice the plain 
and pointed evidences by which we are induced to believe 
that the writings of the New Testament deserve the fullest 
confidence ; and which afford the only rational ground of 
hope for a sinful and guilty world. 

The first book in the New Testament, which naturally 
invites our attention, is the Gospel, which is alleged to 
have been written by Matthew, surnamed Levi^ who was 
a disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ. This man was an 
Hebrew by birth and education, and was employed by the 
Roman authority as a tax-gatherer, and also collected the 
revenue of such goods as were exported or imported at 
Capernaum, a maritime town, on the sea of Galilee : He 
likewise received the tribute of all passengers that went 



160 DEFENCE OF 

by water. From this occupation, he was called by th^ 
divine Redeemer, to be a witness of his life and a minister 
of his word. 

The fact of his having filled a public and responsible 
office under the Roman government, is a sufficient evi- 
dence of his respectability and talents. It has never been 
denied by any of the early v.^riters, either among the friends 
or enemies of Christianity, that Matthew was a disciple 
and apostle of Christ : nor has this fact ever been denied 
by any modern writer of respectable character or talents. 

That Matthew wrote the gospel history which bears 
his name, has uniformly been admitted by christians, from 
the days of the apostles to the present time : Nor did 
any of the early opposers of the gospel intimate a doubt 
on this subject ; but on the contrary, quoted it as a genu- 
ine production. But the period in which it was written, 
has been a subject of much inquiry and discussion. All 
the controversialists, however, are agreed in assigning it 
a higher antiquity than they give to any other book of the 
New Testament. No writer on this subject, who has 
rendered himself familiar with the productions of the ear- 
ly christians, pretends that the narrative in question was 
written at the distance of more than about thirty years ; 
while the most conclusive evidence assigns for the period 
of its publicity, from four to eight years after the crucifix- 
ion. It would indeed be very strange that thirty years 
should be suffered to pass away without leaving any au- 
thentic account of the life and doctrines of Christ, in such 
form as to be accessible by the multitude of those who had 
embraced the christian religion in Judea, and the adjoin- 
ing regions ; for they would require, as a matter of course, 
to be furnished with the history of the life and instructions 
of Christ, that they liiight compare them with the prophe- 
cies of the Old Testament, in which they reposed the full- 
est confidence, and be able to vindicate the principles and 
doctrines of their relisjion against the objections of their 
Jewish opposers. There are so many plain and pointed 
allusions to the persecutions which began immediately af- 
ter the ascension of Christ, and which continued for six 
years, as to render it almost certain that the narrative of 
Matthew was written during that period. Besides these 



DIVINE REVELATION. 161 

references, the gentleness with which he mentions the 
cruelty of Herod, towards John the Baptist, and his in- 
dignities to Christ, on the morning of his cruciiixionj 
would naturally induce the belief that he wrote during the 
reign of that prince ; as he exhibited no more of the odious 
traits of his character, lest they should excite his jealousy, 
or the disaffection of his subjects. If he was influenced 
hy these motives, he must have written his gospel before 
the year 39, for in that yeaT Herod was deposed and ban- 
ished by the emperor Caligula. Finally, Matthew men- 
tions Pilate as being then governor of Judea ; but Vitel- 
lius, governor of Syria, ordered Pilate to appear at Rome 
to answer to a complaint brought against him by the Sa- 
maritans ; and before he arrived, the emperor, Tiberius, 
was dead : This emperor died in the year 37. JNor was 
Pilate, ever after, procurator of Judea ; for it was soon 
after annexed to the province of Syria. This circumstance 
renders it highly probable that Matthew's gospel was v/rit- 
ten as early as the year 37. 

The language in which it was written, has also been 
a subject of doubt and of controversy : Some contending 
that it was written in Hebrew, or, in the Syro-Chaldaic 
dialect, then spoken by the Jews. Others have insisted 
that it was written in the Greek, so as to be equally use- 
ful to Gentile, and Jewish christians. From the best ev- 
idence which your speaker can obtain upon this subject, 
he is satisfied that St. Matthew wrote his gospel, both in 
Hebrew and Greek — in Hebrew, for the use of the Jew- 
ish converts, previous to his departure from Jerusalem : 
and in Greek, for the edification of the multitude, to whom 
that language was familiar. It is quite evident that his 
Hebrew copy was corrupted by a party of the Ebionite 
christians, which, together with the contempt, into which 
the Jews and their language fell, soon after the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem, caused it to be suspected as a forgery, 
and rejected as a spurious production. The Greek of 
Matthew's gospel, however, never was viewed with sus- 
picion by the early fathers and advocates of the gospel ; 
and has therefore been transmitted to our times as an au- 
thentic narrative of facts. Eusebius, the ecclesiastical his- 
torian^ gives it as his opinion;, from all the information 
15 



162 DEFENCE OF 

which he could derive from the writings of those who suc-^ 
ceeded the apostles, in the government of the church, that 
<^ Matthew, having first preached to the Hebrews, deliv- 
ered to them, when he was preparing to depart to other 
countries, his gospel, composed in their native language : 
that to those, from whom he was sent avva}', he might sup- 
ply by his writings the loss of his presence." This same 
historian receives it as an undoubted fact, that the evan- 
gelist also wrote his gospel in Greek, for the benefit and 
instruction of the great body of christians. Nor is this an 
unreasonable conclusion, since the Greek was the gen- 
eral and popular language uf that age. 

To establish, beyond all reasonable doubt, the genuine- 
ness and authenticity of St. Matthew's gospel, I need on- 
ly refer you to a few of the early records which have been 
preserved on this subject. Barnabas, a companion and 
associate of St. Paul, refers directly to it in his Greek 
epistle, no less than seven times : Clemens, Bishop of 
Rome, another associate of Paul, refers to this gospel 
hcice in his epistle to the Corinthians : Hermas, or Her- 
mes, an associate of the apostles, refers to this gospel, in 
his work called the Shepherd, no less than teii times : It 
is referred to nine times in the genuine epistles of Igna- 
tius, Bishop of Antioch, who was ordained to that charge 
by the apostle John : Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, who 
was born about thirty years before the death of John, the 
evangelist and apostle, refers to it^re times in his epistle 
to the Philippians. In the time of Papius, who was sup- 
posed to be a disciple of St. John, it was well known, and 
is expressly ascribed to the evangelist by him, as well as 
by several other writers of the first century, who are quo- 
ted by Eusebius. In the second century it was quoted by 
Tatian, author of the Harmony of the Four Gospels — by 
Hegesippus, a Hebrew convert, — by Justin Martyr, 
Athenagoras, Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch — by Clem- 
ent, Bishop of Alexandria — and finally by Celsus, that 
sagacious and inquisitive enemy of the christian religion, 
whose testimony can never be suspected of any design to 
favor the cause of the gospel. Many later testimonies 
might be added, but they are unnecessary, since the 
earliest writers^ both for and against Christianity, have 



DIVINE REVELATION. 163 

borne witness to the genuineness and authenticity of the 
history which was furnished by this evangeUst. 

Attempts have been made of late years, by several wri- 
ters, to expunge the first and second chapters of this gos- 
pel, evidently for the purpose of avoiding the conclusion 
which they authorize of the miraculous conception of 
Christ. The evidences, however, of their genuineness, 
are too strong and clear to justify the hope of their suc- 
cess : For the manner in which the third chapter com- 
mences, naturally gives birth to the conclusion, that some- 
thing was alluded to which went before. — ^^ In those days, 
came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of 
Judea." In those days ! In ivhat days ? This language 
renders it perfectly evident that the evangelist had written 
something before, to which he here refers : And this ref- 
erence is to the preceding narrative, where he informs UkS 
that Jesus came from the city of Nazareth where he dwelt, 
to be baptized of John in Jordan. 

Again, Home, in his introduction to the critical study 
of the scriptures, asserts it as an indisputable fact, that 
^^ the two first chapters of Matthew'^ s gospel are to be found 
in ALL the ancient manusc7^ipts now extant^ which are en- 
lire, as well as in many that have come down to us, muti- 
lated by the hand of time ; and also in all the ancient 
versions without exception. Some of the manuscripts 
now extant, particularly the Vatican and Cambridge man- 
uscripts, and the Codex Rescriptus in the library of Trin- 
ity College, Dublin, are undoubtedly of very high antiqui- 
ty, bearing date from the fifth or sixth centuries at the 
latest, if they are not earlier. The versions carry us still 
higher. The Peschito, or Old Syriac, and what is called 
the Old Italic, are nearly coeval with the formation of the 
canon of the New Testament. The Coptic, Arabic, and 
other versions, also bear marks of high antiquity : and 
though some of them contain discrepancies of more or less 
moment from the copies generally received, yet all of 
them have this part of the Gospel of Matthew, as integral 
portions of the whole." To the genuineness of these 
chapters, as well as the whole book of Matthew ; Clem- 
ent, of Alexandria ; Hegesippus, the converted Jew and 
ecclesiastical historian ; Justin Martyr ; Ignatius and Ir^- 



164 DEFENCE OP 

neus, who flourished immediately after the apostolic age^ 
and one of them during the life of St. John, all bear tes- 
timony to the genuineness of these chapters, as well as 
those in Luke's gospel, which contains the account of the 
miraculous generation of Christ : This they have done, 
hy quoting the very language of these chapters. 

Before we dismiss this subject, it may be expedient ta 
notice a different class of evidences, which will place the 
fact for which we contend beyond all rational doubt. Ju- 
lian, the apostate, who wrote about the middle of the 
fourth century ; Porphery, who wrote in the third century, 
and Celsus, who wrote about the middle of the second cen- 
tury ; all peculiarly distinguished in history for their bit- 
ter enmity to the name and faith of the christian religion^ 
have left undeniable proof of the antiquity and genuine- 
ness of the narratives of Matthew and Luke, which record 
the miraculous conception, by stating distinctly their ob- 
jections to this part of the history of Christ. They ap- 
pear not to have intimated a doubt as to the genuineness 
of the account, but on the other hand, they contended that 
in writing the facts relating to this miracle, the evangel- 
ists either committed errors, or related falsehoods. Here 
then, you have the testimony of apostles, evangelists, 
early preachers of the gospel, and the most determined 
opposers of the christian faith, to confirm the account of 
which we are speaking. And is it reasonable to suppose 
that both the friends and enemies of Christ would unite in 
the genuine character of this narrative, provided it was 
capable of being successfully controverted? No conclu- 
j«^ion, whatever, could be more preposterous. If any far- 
ther evidence can be thought necessary to establish the 
genuineness of this narrative, it may be found in the wri- 
tings of Epiphanius, as quoted by Dr. Lardner. I allude 
to what he states concerning Cerinthus, a disciple of Si- 
mon Magus ; who was viewed with abhorrence by the 
apostle John. He flourished in the days of the apostles, 
and appears to have been the leader of a sect about sevc7i'- 
teen years after the crucifixion of Christ. According to 
Epiphanius, Cerinthus received the gospel written by 
Matthew, though not the whole : '^ His followers preferred 
it on account of its genealogy.''^ Epiphanius adds — '^it is 



DIVINE REVELATION. 165 

ALLOWED hy all THAT CeRINTHUS MADE USE OF THE BE- 
GINNING of St. Mattheivh Gospel^ and from thence endeav- 
ored to prove that Jesus was the Son of Joseph and Mary^ 
Here I beg leave to remark, that those who denied the 
miraculous conception of Christ, in primitive times, re- 
ceived and accredited those very chapters which contain 
that account ; and that, for the purpose of justifying the 
conclusion that he was the literal son of Joseph : But 
modern unbelievers of the miraculous account of the con- 
ception, reject these chapters because they are convinced 
that they afford prima facia evidence that he was pro- 
duced by a miraculous generation. Thus it appears that 
ancient and modern humanitarians are at war up.on the 
merits of what these chapters contain. We shall not at- 
tempt to decide this controversy, but leave them to settle 
the dispute among themselves. 

In addition to all these decisive testimonies of the ene- 
mies of truth, it is a fact worthy of particular attention, that 
during all the heat of religious debate about speculative 
points, in the early centuries, no objections were ever 
brought against the genuineness of these chapters. — 
Hence I am led to conclude that their genuineness is 
clearly, fully, and incontrovertibly established, by every 
kind of testimony which the most fastidious and skeptical 
disputant could require. 

The history of Christ, as written by Mark, omits both 
the genealogy and miraculous conception ; the former be- 
ing of less importance to the christians at Rome, by whose 
request he penned the gospel bearing his name : Nor is 
there any thing strange in his omission of the miraculous 
conception, when we reflect that his history does not con- 
tain the sermon on the mount, and is destitute of many of 
the parables, which the others contain. He was not an eye 
or ear witness of what Christ did and said ; but being a 
companion of Peter, and enjoying the advantages of his 
ministry, he wrote at the earnest solicitation of some 
christians at Rome, such facts relating to Christ, his ac- 
tions and doctrine, as he thought of the greatest impor- 
tance to their faith and practice. His gospel contains 
some particulars which are omitted by Matthew : This 
might well be expected, since he daily listened to the dis- 
15^ 



166 DEFENCE OF 

courses of Peter, who was an eye-witness and apostle of 
Christ from the beginning. For we cannot in reason 
suppose that all the works and instructions of Christ would 
be penned by anify or by all the apostles and ministers of 
the apostolic age. Indeed, the contrary is told us by St. 
John, at the close of his gospel. 

All the early writers, who lived during and after the 
apostles, as well as those who wrote against Christianity, 
admit, and bear testimony to the genuineness of Mark's 
history. The precise period in which he wrote cannot be 
positively stated ; though the best evidence which we can 
obtain, leads us to conclude that it was written about the 
year 61 or 62, 

The next in course is the gospel by St. Luke. This 
author is supposed to have been a Greek by birth, a pros- 
elyte to the Jewish religion, and afterwards a convert to 
Christianity. According to Eusebius, he was a native 
of Antioch, and by profession, a physician, as may also 
be seen by the epistle of Paul to the Colossians, iv. 14, 
He was an associate of St. Paul, was present at his trial 
in Cesarea, accompanied him in his journey to Rome, 
and was his companion during his imprisonment in that 
city. To the genuineness and authenticity of his gospel, 
all the early writers of note bear an unanimous testimony. 
He likewise shared the honor, in common with Matthew, 
of having the genuineness of his gospel acknowledged by 
all the violent adversaries of the christian religion, for 
centuries. His writings present a beautiful specimen of 
elegant and correct narration, and evince his intimate ac- 
quaintance with the Hebrew scriptures. 

The period at which Luke wrote his gospel is supposed 
to be about A. D. 63 or 64, — and from the best evidence 
that we can obtain, it was written in Greece, for the use 
and instruction of that nation. 

The three evangelists whose gospels we have noticed, 
were undoubtedly strangers to the writings of each other, 
since verbal differences frequently occur when they are 
describing the same events. This fact must, of course, 
free them from all just suspicion of having concerted any 
measure to impose on their readers. Their occasionally 
employing the same words, in recording the same facts, is 



DIVINE REVELATION. 167 

a strong indication that the truths which they narrated, 
were equally well known and familiar to them all. 

The gospel according to St John, next claims our at- 
tention. This writer was among the earliest of Christ's 
chosen companions and apostles, and was the only apos- 
tle who was present at the time of his crucifixion. He 
was a native of Bethsaida, on the border of the sea of 
Galilee. He enjoyed the advantage of being an eye-wit- 
ness of what transpired in the life, and was a constant 
hearer of his Master. After suffering persecutions for the 
gospel, he died at Ephesus A. D. 100, aged about 94 
years. The best evidence which can be collected con- 
cerning the time of his gospel's being written, places it at 
the period of about 97 years from the birth of Christ. — 
Previous to the writing of this gospel, the histories of 
Matthew, Mark and Luke had been extensively circula- 
ted, which will readily account for his omitting many par- 
ticulars which they contain, and supplying others in which 
they were deficient. Besides this, at the time of John's 
writing, the gospel had spread into far distant countries 
and nations, which suggested the necessity of particular 
explanations and facts, which are peculiar to this gospel 
history. Two heresies had also risen, and were spread- 
ing at this period ; the one headed by Nicholas, and the 
other by Cerinthus. The influence of these, the apostle 
evidently designed to counteract by the general scope of 
his narrative and illustrations. 

The evangelical history written by John, has been uni- 
versally received as genuine, and has received the united 
testimony and approbation of all the early christian wri- 
ters and historians. It is therefore unnecessary, as well 
as incompatible with the design and limits of this dis- 
course, to enlarge upon its contents : I shall therefore on- 
ly add, it is written, for the most part, with great simpli- 
city and perspicuity. 

The Acts of the Apostles has very justly been term- 
ed ^ fifth gospel, because it is the continuance of the gos- 
pel history, and forms the fifth and last historical book of 
the New Testament. It is rightly considered as a most 
valuable 'postscript to the gospel history, and forms the 
connecting link tJetween the gospels and epistles of the 
'New Testament. 



168 DEFENCE OF 

This book contains a valuable history of the lives of 
Peter and Paul, as also a faithful history of the christian 
church, in many particulars, from the ascension of Christ, 
down to the time of St. Paul's arrival at Rome, a period 
of about thirty years. It narrates the miracles and perse- 
cutions of the apostles, and the rapid increase of the church 
under their administration. 

All the early writers have unanimously attested that it 
is the genuine production of St. Luke, the author of the 
tJiird gospel history in the order of the New Testament. 
It is with good reason supposed to have been written 
about the year A. D. 63. This book has never been re- 
jected upon the authority of any history, either ancient or 
modern. It is true that a few extravagant sects, as w^ild 
and enthusiastic as they were designing and dogmatical, 
rejected this book, on account of its contradicting their 
senseless dogmas : But all the credible and most respect- 
able writers of antiquity confirm its genuineness and au- 
thenticity. The Acts of the Apostles abundantly confirms 
the truth of the/owr gospels, and the divine original of the 
christian religion. 

Of the Epistles, which form so great a part of the New 
Testament, /owWeen are ascribed to St. Paul. The histo- 
ry of his zeal in the Jew's religion, of his persecutions of 
the church of Christ, and of his miraculous conversion to 
Christianity, are minutely recorded by St Luke, in the 
Acts of the Apostles. I shall offer only a few remarks up- 
on his epistles, as it would be a needless trespass upon 
your patience to enlarge upon each. 

That he was a writer of great learning, abilities and 
zeal, is both evident from his epistles, and also universal- 
ly acknowledged by men of the most approved talents. 

All his epistles, except that to the Hebrews, were unan- 
imously acknowledged by the best early writers in the 
c-iristian church, to be genuine and authentic. His epis- 
tle to the Romans was supposed to be written from Co- 
rinth, about A. D. 57 — I. Corinthians from Ephesus, A. 
D. 57—11. Corinthians, from Fhilippi, A D. 58. The 
eni«:tle to the Galatians is supposed to have been written 
ab^ut A. 1) 52 or 53 ; but where the apostle was when 
he wrote this letter^ is not positively known. The Epis- 



BiVINE REVELATIOxN-. 169 

tie to the Ephesians was supposed to have been written 
from Rome, about the year 51 — That to the PhUippians, 
about 52, and that to the Colossians, the same year, and 
both from Rome, while Paul continued in that city. The 
first epistle to the Thessalonians was supposed to have 
been written from Corinth, about the year 52, and the 
second epistle to the same church, from the same place, in 
the year 52 or 53. The first of Timothy was believed to 
have been written from Rome, in the year 64 — and the 
secondj from the same place in the following year. The 
epistle to Titus is supposed to have been written from the 
same place, in the year 64. The epistle to Philemon, 
was also beheved by the ancient writers to have been 
written from Rome, in the year 62, or 63. The epistle 
to the Hebrews has been the subject of various conjec- 
tures, though its genuineness has never been disputed. — 
The balance of evidence, however, has greatly preponde- 
rated in favor of the opinion that it was written by St. 
Paul, insomuch that the best informed of all the early 
writers and historians have confidently expressed their be- 
lief that it was written by the great apostle of the Gen- 
tiles : And it is supposed to have been written about the 
year 64, from Rome, or some part of Italy. 

The epistle bearing the name of Jaraes^ is confidently 
ascribed to James the less^ who is called by historians, as 
by the scriptures, the brother of Christ. Although the 
canonical authority of this epistle has been doubted, y^i 
the fact of its being placed in the Syriac version of the 
JNPew Testament, which was executed in the first century, 
is a circumstance which can leave little doubt on the can- 
did mind of its genuineness and authenticity ; or that it 
was written in the apostolic age. 

The genuineness and canonical authority of the first 
epistle of Peter, have never been disputed. It was sup- 
posed to have been written about the year 64. The sec- 
ond epistle, bearing this apostle's name, has been ques- 
tioned by some ; but the evidence of its genuineness and 
authenticity, when properly weighed, we think, are suffic- 
ient to silence every objection which can be started against 
it. The period in which it was written, is supposed to 
have been just before the apostle's death, in the year G5. 



170 DEFENCE OF 

The first epistle of John is distinctly cited by Polycarp^ 
who was born about ihirhj years before the death of this 
apostle ; — Papias, supposed to be a disciple of St. John, 
Ireneus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, Cy- 
p>-ian, Eusebius, Athanasius, and all the subsequent wri- 
ters of ecclesiastical history, as well as those who employ- 
ed themselves in writing for the instruction of posterity, 
on the New Testament, have declared this epistle to be 
genuine. It is supposed to have been written before the 
destruction of Jerusalem, and addressed to christians in 
general : Hence it is called a catholic epistle. The sec^ 
ond and third epistles, which bear the name of John, were 
doubted by some of the early fathers of the church, and 
are not received by the Syrian churches. Yet they were 
never suspected of containing any thing untrue, or incon- 
sistent with Christianity. They were received by many 
of the early and eminent successors of the apostles, as 
genuine : And it cannot be denied that they contain very 
strong internal evidence of having been the productions 
of this apostle. The style and subjects of the second, are 
the same as those of the first epistle. The third is of a 
more local character, though it is a clear and forcible com- 
mendation of hospitality ; which is the fruit of charity or 
love, the general theme of the two foregoing epistles. — 
These last were addressed to private individuals, and are 
supposed to have been written about the years S5 and 69. 

The epistle of Jude was rejected by several persons in 
the early ages of the church, on account of the reference 
which it contains to some apocryphal writings ; but it was 
received by the most learned and able writers, and is sup- 
ported by the most respectable authority. It is found in 
all the ancient catalogues of the writings of the New Tes- 
tament. It is declared to be genuine, by Clement of Al- 
exandria, and is quoted as the production of Jude, by 
Tertullian, Origen, and by a majority of the ancients, no- 
ticed by Eusebius. This epistle is supposed to have been 
written between the years 65, and 70. 

The genuineness of the Apocalypse or Revelation to St. 
John, was never called in question till the third century. 
It was largely commented upon by the early christians, 
and acknowledged to have been written by St. John. In 



DIVINE REVELATION. 171 

the third century it was called in question by a few indi- 
viduals who were engaged in opposing some extravagant 
views of the Millenium^ which were thought to have been 
drawn from this book. It was evidently received by the 
'' Shepherd of Hermas" — by Ignatius, Polycarp, and Pa- 
pias ; all contemporaries with St. John; besides these, 
Justin Martyr, Mileto, Ireneus, Athenagoras, Theophilus, 
Apollonius, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian and the 
Asiatic churches, all, in the second centuries, acknowl- 
edged and used the apocalypse as the genuine production 
of John the xipostle. In a word ; it is pronounced by the 
ablest modern critics, to be more fully defended and sup- 
ported as the genuine and authentic production of St. John, 
than are the writings of any other of the apostles and evan- 
gelists contained in the New Testament. This book is 
supposed to have been written at Ephesus, in the year 96, 
or 97. 

I have now briefly noticed the several Books of the 
New Testament, and lain before you some of the plain and 
forcible evidences of their genuineness and authenticity. 
The facts of the existence, conduct, writings, and relig- 
ious professions of these witnesses, are too plain and evi- 
dent to be doubted. And here let me ask, — are not these 
writings replete with simplicity, fairness and candor ? Do 
they not contain the purest rules for the practice of all the 
moral and social virtues which could elevate the human 
character, or conduce to the happiness of intelligent be- 
ings ? Are not the prospects and hopes which they hold 
up to view of such a nature as to excite the most genuine 
and exalted piety to God, and the most extensive benevo- 
lence to man ? Were not the early disciples plainly told by 
Christ, that they would be most cruelly persecuted and de- 
stroyed for embracing and professing his religion ? After 
being apprized of all these dangers and sufferings, did 
they not, without any prospects of earthly gain or happi- 
ness, boldly encounter all these sufferings and privations^ 
by a steady perseverance in his religion and doctrine ? 
and can you see the least appearance, in all this, of any 
motive which they could possibly have for adhering to the 
religion of their Master, unless they possessed the fullest 
and most incontrovertible evidence that its authority was 



17i2 DEFENCE OlP 

divine ? These questions admit of but one answer. They 
had witnesse<3 the stupendous miracies of Christ, and were 
blessed with the same divine power, after his resurrection 
and ascension. They knew that th^ir religion was of God, 
and contemplating its vast and benevolent design, they 
were fired with a zeal and power, which bade defiance to 
the malice of men, and the gates of hell. 

In the condition and temporal prospects of those who 
penned the history and furnished the epistles of the New 
Testament, there is not a single circumstance which can 
induce the suspicion that they could have been under the 
influence of any motive to deceive mankind by giving 
publicity to falsehood. For it is well known to every 
reader of history, that the defence of Christianity was an 
enterprize which required incessant exertion and extreme 
hazard. Whoever enlisted under the banner of the cross, 
was aware that he entered the field of danger, where fear- 
ful hosts of Jews and gentiles v/ere arrayed in hostile ar- 
mor, and determined to exterminate a religion so wound- 
^ ing to the pride of their hearts, and which demanded the 
■Qnconditional surrender of all their sinful gratifications. 
Hence the dangers to which the profession of faith in 
Christ exposed all its conscientious adherents, was too 
obvious to be mistaken, and too palpable to escape the 
notice of the most superficial minds. 

The evidence, that such would be the inevitable conse- 
quence of the profession of Christianity, was as plain and 
as certain to their minds as the truth and authority of 
their religion ; for it had been taught them by the vSon of 
God, in language unequivocal. That they experienced 
its truth, we are fully certified, by writers of undoubted 
credit, both christian and heathen. The Acts of the 
Apostles contains a record of the violence with which the 
disciples and early followers of Christ were persecuted, 
soon afler the resurrection and ascension of their illus- 
trious Leader : And in addition to the testimony there fur- 
nished, the pages of all the early christian historians con- 
tain ample proof of the various sufferings and persecutions 
which the primitive disciples endured for the name and re- 
ligion of their Master. But to place this subject beyond 
the reach of doubt or of controversy, we have only to 



( 



I 



DIVINE REVELATION. 173 

add, that Tacitus, the Roman historian, as well as other 
pagan writers, has placed this fact in the clearest light, by 
reciting the story of their wrongs and their martyrdom. — 
The rigorous and inhuman treatment which the christians 
received, merely for their profession of faith, is a promi- 
nent feature in the history of the Roman empire, for the 
space of three hundred years from the birth of Christ. 
Nor is there any point more fully established by these 
writers and historians, than that the simple circumstance 
of a man's confession that he was a christian, was suffic- 
ient to bring upon him the punishment of death ; so that 
those who were known, or even suspected of being christ- 
ians, were exposed to all those dangers and sufferings 
which are the most repulsive to the feelings and sensibil- 
ities of human nature. 

It is well known that the Roman government v/as dis- 
tinguished for its liberality to the religious prejudices of 
every country which submitted to its arms and its power, 
and practised upon the principles of toleration beyond the 
example of any preceding monarchy. But the cause of 
this indulgence is easily traced to the similarity which ob- 
tained in the superstitious rites and ceremonies of every 
pagan country, over which its victories had extended. — 
The Romans themselves were pagans, and recognized the 
leading and ostensible features of their own religion, 
through all the provinces v/hich they had conquered, save 
that of Judea : And as it was an universal acknowledg- 
ment of paganism, that every country had its own gods, 
they could not depart from the principle of toleration, 
without violating the most essential article of their own 
creed. This caused them to respect the religion of all 
pagan conntries, and to feel themselves bound to practise 
the rites of worship in every country where they happen- 
ed to sojourn. In this, they did not abandon their own 
religion, nor sacrifice any principle by the respect and 
reverence which they paid to the religion and worship of 
other countries. 

The religion of the Jews gave no alarm to the Roman 
government ; for their strong attachment to their own sys- 
tem, and the contempt and detestation with which they 
viewed the religions of pagan Rome, rendered them un- 
16 



174 



DEFENCE or 



social, and objects of pity and disgust, rather than of jea- 
lousy and alarm to the Roman government ; so that their 
excessive vanity and superstition were too uninviting to 
divert the heathen from their attachments to pagan idola- 
try. For these and similar reasons, they were permitted 
to enjoy their religious rites, unmolested. 

With the Christians, however, the case was far diffe- 
rent. Their zeal and diligence in propagating their re- 
ligion, excited the alarm of the Jews, and drew upon them 
the vengeance of the Scribes and Pharisees. The rapid- 
ity with which their principles spread throughout Judea, 
was the signal for persecution and death. This led the 
first christians to visit more distant regions, and to pro- 
claim the truths of the gospel to the gentiles. When the 
Roman government became acquainted with its high pre- 
tensions, and were apprized of the zeal and activity of its 
advocates — when they saw to what an extent its principles 
were received ; that it aimed at the utter subversion of 
all idolatry, and that the temples of pagan superstition 
were beginning to be deserted ; they w^ere alarmed for 
the safety of their religious institutions, and therefore 
commenced the work of persecution, with a view to exter- 
minate what they termed^ an extravagant and j^estilent su- 
perstHion. 

Many of those who were the subjects of these violent 
persecutions, were among the apostles and first disciples 
of Christ ; were the subjects of his immediate instruction ; 
listened to his discourses ; saw him perform his miracles ; 
witnessed his trial and condemnation, and saw him after 
he had risen from the dead. To a few of them, the gift 
of miracles was imparted, and frequent revelations were 
afforded, to encourage and inspire them with comfort 
amidst the trials and sufferings to which they were expos- 
ed, in the defence and dissemination of the gospel. They 
were the authors of the writings which are contained in 
the New Testament. The fortitude, the constancy and 
firmness with which they met and sustained the dreadful 
c^ufferino-s which their unfeeling persecutors mflicted, ex- 
cited, indeed, the astonishment of their tormentors, but 
was mistaken for the most criminal obstinacy and mdiffer- 
ence to life. These facts are too well authenticated to 



DIVINE REVELATION, 175 

admit of contradiction or doubt ; since thej are recorded 
by both the friends and enemies of the gospel. 

A most rational and serious inquiry, therefore, presents 
itself for our solution. It is admitted, for it cannot he de- 
nied, that the profession of Christianity was sure to entail 
suffering and disgrace ; not only in Judea, but throughout 
the whole Roman empire : And those who embraced the 
faith of the christian religion were sure to be regarded as 
an infatuated, despised and miserable people. They could 
have no hope of worldly honor or distinction, nor could 
they anticipate any temporal advantage from attaching 
themselves to a religion which waged an indiscrimi- 
nate war with the religion of the whole pagan world, and 
at the same time imposed its stern restraints upon all the 
unholy passions and desires of the human heart. It prom- 
ised them none of that glory which encircles the brow of 
the patriot and the hero, but exposed them, not only to de- 
rision and insolence, but to the charge of contemptible 
folly and madness. It has been well observed by an able 
author in defence of Christianity, that '' A name and rep- 
utation in the world might sustain the dying moments of 
Socrates or Regulus ; but what earthly principles can ac- 
count for the intrepidity of those poor and miserable out- 
casts, who consigned themselves to a voluntary martyr- 
dom in the cause of their religion ?" With all these cir- 
cumstances in full view before us, let us bring the question 
home to every heart : — What possible inducement could 
the writers of the New Testament have had to impose 
these writings upon the world, if they knew them to be 
false } And this they must have known, if the things which 
they recorded did not actually transpire. To submit to 
all the sufferings of a bloody and unsparing persecution, 
and that in defence of what they knew to be a groundless 
imposture, would have been a species of madness and in- 
sanity, without a parallel in the history of all ages ! But 
have they v/ritten like mad-men, or like men, laboring 
under the influence of mental alienation ? Do not their 
writings rather demonstrate that they enjoyed clearness of 
intellect, soundness of understanding, soberness of reflec- 
tion, conviction of duty, and a deep devotion of heart and 
purpose, to the honor of God and the moral and relig- 



IKS BEFEXCE OF 

ious improvement of mankind ? These characteristics are 
too plain and palpable in all their productions to admit of 
denial. 

Again, they voluntarily suffered martyrdom for what they 
wrote and taught — ^^and it has universally been admitted 
that martyrdom is an incontrovertible evidence of the sin- 
cerity of those who submit to its sufferings. I shall prob- 
ably be told, in reply, that men have suffered martyrdom 
in defence of principles v^'hich are directly opposite in 
their character. This is readily admitted ; and it only 
proves that those who thus suffered, truly and unquestion- 
ably believed the sentiments which they espoused, and 
w^ere sincerely devoted to the defence of their principles. 
The martyrdom of archbishop Cranmer afforded undoubt- 
ed evidence of his sincere and conscientious rejection of 
what he conceived to be the errors of the papal creed, and 
of his thorough conviction of opposite sentiments. The 
martyrdom of Michael Servetus, in pursuance of the de- 
cision of the council of Geneva, carried undeniable proof 
of his sincerity in the belief of the sentiments which he 
had espoused : But neither of these cases proves the cor- 
rectness of the sentiments which they embraced and main- 
tained ; it only proves that they sincerely believed the 
doctrines which they advanced, without the positive know- 
ledge that they were in all respects true. It therefore 
shows that a man may be sincere, and yet be laboring un- 
der a mistake : That the errors which he embraces may 
exert an influence to induce him to suffer in their defence, 
in the same manner as if they were sanctioned by demon- 
strative evidence. 

These acknowledgments, however, afford no conclusion 
that the apostles and primitive christians suffered in the 
defence of what they only believed or supposed to be true ; 
for they suffered in attestation of what they saiv and heard ; 
of what their senses took cognizance ; and not merely of 
what their understandings took cognizance, as a matter of 
opinion or belief They heard the preaching and saw 
the miracles of Christ for its confirmation ; nay, more, — 
they were with him after his resurrection from the dead, 
and therefore must have known the truth of what they 
declared. Their sufferings, therefore, furnished the in- 



DIVINE REVELATION. 177 

controvertible evidence, not only of the sincerity of their 
faith, but of the truth and certainiij of what they pro- 
claimed. 

The miracles which these witnesses performed, and by 
which they commended their message to the confidence 
of the multitude, stand forth as an imperishable monu- 
ment of the divine authority of what they wrote and 
taught. These writings are bequeathed us as an invalu- 
able legacy, containing a transcript of the will of God, the 
standard of evangelical faith, and a most ample and per- 
fect directory in all the important duties which devolve 
upon us, in our relation to the Supreme Being, and to all 
the creatures of his forming hand. It is the glorious 
charter of immortality, the pledge of eternal life. 

To reject the truth of what these writings contain, is 
to renounce the hope of all which can sustain our hearts 
under the severest conflicts of life, and which can support 
our courage amidst the sharpest trials which were ever 
allotted for the experience of human nature. But why 
do we talk of their rejection .^ Do they contain any thing 
offensive to reason, or to the purest morality which ever 
refined and elevated the character of man ? It cannot be 
pretended, with the least semblance of justice ; for the 
opposite character has always been awarded to these wri- 
tings, even by the most violent opposers of revealed re- 
ligion. 

The writings of the New Testament contain a clear 
and interesting description of the third and last dispensa- 
tion of infinite wisdom and goodness, by which the glori- 
ous designs of heaven are unfolded to man, and by whose 
instructions we are furnished with the rules of every 
moral and social duty, together with a most shining and 
forcible example of all those important virtues, in the life 
and character of the distinguished Founder of our relig- 
ion. The great object of his life was that of improving the 
condition of man, and of elevating and refining the sensi- 
bilities of our common nature. They teach us, in a clear 
and impressive manner, that the centre to which all his 
designs and actions tended, was that of releasing mankind 
from the bondage of ignorance, superstition and vice, and 
16* 



178 DEFENCE OF 

of conforming the manners and habits of the intelligent 
family of God to rules of the most exalted piety and virtue. 

To this worthy end, and for the security of this enno- 
bling design, he combined the purest precepts with the 
most perfect example. Never has a character been pre- 
sented to the world so amiable and godhke, and at the 
same time, so equally distant from the phrenzy of enthu- 
siasm, the craft of imposture, and the haughty indifference 
of stoical pride. His example was the most perfect ex- 
hibition of holiness ; of devotion to the honor of God ; of 
zeal for the glory of the great Creator ; of ardent solici- 
tude for the improvement and happiness of man ; of char- 
ity and kindness ; of sympathy and love ; of condescen- 
sion and forbearance ; of meekness, humility and self- 
denial. 

The religion which he taught, was totally unconnected 
with all the schemes of human policy : It is true that it 
forcibly inculcated the duty of submission to human laws, 
but it never sought to seat its votaries in the chair of civil 
and political authority : on the contrary, it openly pro- 
claimed a kino;dom which was not of this world ! It direct- 
ed all its energies to extinguish the flame of every unholy 
passion of the heart, and sought to elevate the human 
mind above the grovelling propensities which enslave the 
noble powers of the soul, check the spontaneous flow of 
charity, and obstruct the gentle currents of benignity, 
peace, and universal kindness ; so unspeakably auspicious 
to the welfare of man. The exalted views which the wri- 
tings of the New Testament inculcate, of the character 
and government of God, are such as to commend them- 
selves to our reason ; as they are worthy of the most ex- 
cellent of all possible beings, and such as to excite our 
highest reverence, since they give birth to the most sin- 
cere affections of the soul, and call forth the liveliest emo- 
tions of gratitude, confidence and joy. They represent 
him as a Father, of universal benignity, whose mercy and 
grace, like the blessings of his providence, flow free and 
unconfined, to all the creatures of his hand, throughout 
the universe. They make us acquainted with our duty to 
him, as the children of his love ; point out the path of im- 
provement and happiness, and furnish us with a knowledge 



DIVINE REVELATION. 179 

of the wise and perfect design for which we were created. 
If they taught the unrestrained indulgence of the gross 
propensities of human nature ; if they justified oppression 
and violence ; if they encouraged fraud and injustice ; if 
they allowed of persecution and intolerance ; if they gave 
countenance to falsehood and deceit ; if they sanctioned 
indifference to the practice of any moral and social virtue, 
or afforded a license to the indulgence of sin, in thought, 
"Word or deed ; w^e might feel ourselves excusable in re- 
jecting their instructions : But their morality is, on the 
contrary, so pure, simple, exalted and refined, as to leave 
us without excuse, provided we reject their wholesome 
admonitions, and heed not their holy and authoritative 
precepts. In a word ; they are '^ a light to our feet and a 
lamp to our path," to direct us into all the counsels of 
wisdom and truth ; and while they point out to us the dan- 
gers of our way, and solemnly admonish us to '' shun ev- 
ery appearance of evil," they communicate to us the 
knowledge of God and his will, thoroughly furnish us un- 
to every good word and work, and supply all the means 
which will enable us to become " wise unto salvation." 



LECTURE XIV. 



St. John, x. 20, 21. 
«* And many of them said, He hath a devil and is mad ; why hear 
ye him ? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a 
devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind ?" 

Among the Jews, various impressions were produced 
by the preaching and miracles of Jesus. Some supposed 
him to be one of the ancient prophets, returned to the 
abode of mortals, for the purpose of instructing mankind 
in the perfect knowledge of divine truth, and to demon- 
strate its authority by the most wonderful deeds : Others, 
that he was John the Baptist, risen from the dead, to dis- 
play the mighty power of God : A third class were jealous 
that he was an ambitious and designing politician, seeking 
to overthrow the laws and customs of the Jews, and to es- 
tablish a new order of government : Another class sup- 
posed him to be the Son of God, the Messiah, whose cha- 
racter and labors had been the theme of so many of the 
ancient prophets : — while the more envious and bigotted 
declared that he had a devil and was mad. Thus we see 
that those who rejected the Prince of Peace, and the glo- 
rious truths which he taught and enforced, were actuated 
by different motives, which gave birth to variety in the 
character of their objections. 

Between the skeptics of the first century, and those of 
our own times, there is, in some respects, a striking dis- 
similarity. Those who then rejected the doctrine and di- 
vine authority of the Saviour, admitted the reality of those 
ast<>nishing miracles which he performed : But skeptics at 
this day allege the history of these miracles as an excuse 
for rejecting the system of revealed religion. This new 
attitnde, therefore, of the opposers of divine revelation, 
renders it necessary for us to enter into the merits of the 



DIVINE REVELATIOxV. 181 

evidence by which the miracles of Christ and his apostles 
are set forth and defended. 

A miracle, in its common and most appropriate signifi- 
cation, denotes some effect which is produced by means 
that are contrary to the well-known and established con- 
stitution and course of things ; such as a sensible and ob- 
vious deviation from the known laws of nature. Or, in 
other words, it is an effect produced, aside from, and in- 
dependent of, the ordinary laws which are established in 
the physical universe. 

The history which contains an account of the miracles 
of Christ and his followers, has been assailed with more 
violence and zeal, than reason and sober reflection. 

Censure, of the most exceptionable character, devoid, 
alike, of sound reason and philosophy, is generally em- 
ployed to intimidate the young and inexperienced mind : 
Modern skeptics appear to think that an unblushing charge 
of falsehood and deception is sufficient to ensure their tri- 
umph ; especially if it be accompanied with a few sallies 
of satirical wit. But the sober exercise of reason will 
readily dissipate this illusion, and bring our minds to the 
more consistent employment of investigating the evidence 
of simple and well-attested facts. 

What evidence, or even argument, have they ever 
brought forward to prove that Christ and his apostles did 
not perform the miracles which are recorded in the New 
Testament ? None — They rest their whole cause on a 
simple denial of the fact. They indeed attempt to justify 
this denial, by appealing to the frauds which have been 
practised by vile and arrogant pretenders : But this ap- 
peal is a tacit acknowledgment, on their part, that gen- 
uine miracles have been performed ; since no man would 
ever attempt an imitation of what never existed in reality. 
No fraud which was ever attempted will compare with the 
plain, but stupendous miracles of Christ and his apostles. 
They were not performed under the cover of darkness ; 
no previous notice was given that they would be wrought ; 
no long train of preparations was announced, to excite 
the gaze of the multitude : — They were totally unlike the 
tricks of jugglers, for they were never performed except 
in cases where real benevolence required the display of 



182 DEFENCE OF 

almighty power. The first miracle of Christ was per- 
fjrmed to give a divine sanction of approbation to the in- 
stitution of marriage : an institution which is of universal 
importance to the peace, the prosperity, and the good or- 
der of society : an institution which has been held sacred 
by all civilized nations, and deemed indispensable even 
by the wildest barbarians ^ and were it now to be set 
aside and disregarded, it would immediately plunge man- 
kind into a state of more deplorable barbarity than that 
which ever reigned among the tribes of our western wilds, 
or brutalized the hordes of Afric's burning sands. The 
miracles of Christ were generally performed in large as- 
semblies, in the presence of his disciples, and in presence 
of those who sought occasion to revile and persecute 
him : In presence of thousands, he healed the lepers with 
a word ; removed the palsy ; gave sight to those that 
were born blind ; restored hearing to the deaf ; bade the 
burning fever retire ; restored the withered hand, and 
raised the dead to life ! How totally unlike the tricks of 
jugglers and mountebanks, were the miracles of the great 
Redeemer. They were performed at times and places, 
and under circumstances, which precluded the possibility 
of any deception. They were witnessed by the priests 
and rulers of the Jews, as well as by the whole multitude 
who came together to obtain instruction, or gratify their 
curiosity. They were repeated and multiplied by the 
apostles, in the name, and bv the authority of their Mas- 
ter, after his resurrection from the dead : — They were 
performed upon such subjects as to remove all suspicion 
of fraud, and to defy all the arts of denial or evasion. 
Indeed, so obvious and undeniable were these miracles, 
that the Jews, with all their prejudice, envy and bitter- 
ness, did not pretend to deny, but acknowledged their 
truth. It is true that they attributed them to the power 
and iwRuence of the prince of devih, but never presumed 
to call in question the fact of their being performed. — 
Celsus, who lived but a few years after the apostles, not- 
withstanding his laborious efforts to bring the christian re- 
ligion into discredit and contempt, did not venture to de- 
ny, but acknowledged that the miracles recorded by the 
ajpostles were really performed ; and therefore found him- 



DIVINE REVELATION. 183 

self under the necessity of admitting the divine authority 
of that religion, or of seeking some other way to account 
for their performance. This he found means to accom- 
plish, by attributing them to the power of magic ! The 
learned skeptics, Porphery and Julian, who succeeded 
him in the ranks of infidelity, patterned after his example, 
and attributed them to the same cause. Thus you see, 
my hearers, that the devil and magic, were as indispensa- 
ble to keep the cause of infidelity in countenance, in the 
early ages of the gospel, as was the goddess Diana to the 
wealth of the craftsmen of Ephesus. 

Some modern unbelievers, aware of these difiicultieSj 
have adopted a shorter method to dispose of the evidence 
of the miracles of the gospel, as well as the whole history 
of the christian religion, by denying that the histories were 
written till several hundred years after the events were 
said to transpire : Such persons, however, only expose 
their want of historical information, and bring disgrace and 
confusion into the ranks of the party which they are labour- 
ing to keep in countenance. 

Occasionally there have been those who have denied 
the possibility of miracles : But these men probably are 
not aware that this assertion is a denial of the power of 
God, and therefore proves them to be Atheists. For ad- 
mitting the existence of a Supreme Being, his power must 
be unlimited ; therefore, to say that unlimited power can- 
not produce an effect aside from, and independent of the 
ordinary laws which this power has established in nature, 
is a contradiction in terms. This bold presumption be- 
trays the most singular want of reflection : For where were 
the ordinary laws o^ reproduction^ before the vegetable and 
animal creation were brought into being by the fiat of the 
Almighty ? Will it be pretended that the first man and 
woman, — that the first pairs of all the animal creation, — 
that thefivJ'st of all the plants and trees which adorn and 
beautify the globe, were produced by no other than the 
ordinary laws by which they are now multiplied ? And if 
they were not produced by these laws, can any man unless 
he outrages every principle of reason, deny that they were 
produced by the immediate effort of divine and almighty 
power, independent of the ordinary laws of nature ? — No 



184 DEFENCE OF 

man, denying the truth of mh'acles, will attempt either to 
answer these plain questions, or justify his unbelief, without 
resorting to the folly and madness of denying the existence 
of God, and taking shelter in the fearful vortex of Atheis- 
tical infidelity. 

I will now submit a few plain and simple inquiries to 
such as deny the miracles of the New Testament, which I 
trust will enable them to discover the feebleness of their at- 
tempts to overthrow their truth and divine authority. In 
looking over the history of these miracles, is it not evident 
that they were produced by a power infinitely superior to 
that of man ? Were they not of a character*, at once the 
most dignified, generous, disinterested, humane and be- 
nevolent ? Were they not appealed to as an evidence of 
the divine authority of the doctrine of Christ and his apos- 
tles ? Were they not performed in such an open and pub- 
lic manner as to preclude the possibility of any artifice or 
fraud ? Did not those men who were convinced of the 
miracles and doctrine of Christ, abandon the pursuits of 
wickedness, conform to the most rigid rules of moral vir- 
tue and self-denial, and hazard both their lives, and their 
temporal prospects of interest and ease to become the dis- 
ciples and followers of Christ ? Hov/ is it possible, then, 
to account for all this change in their conduct and pursuits, 
unless they possessed the fullest evidence that these as- 
tonishing w^orks w^ere performed by divine power, and that 
the doctrine of Christ v/as stamped with the seal of di- 
vine authority ? And finally, why did not the learned hosts 
of Jews and Pagans attack and refute the story of these 
miracles, which were immediately published to the world, 
constantly appealed to by the disciples, and urged as an 
ample justification of their faith in Christ, if it was in their 
power to disprove them, instead of resorting to persecution 
and death, as the only probable means which held out to them 
the most distant prospect of success in their opposition to 
the gospel t These are questions which the enemies of 
revelation will never apprc ach with any design to furnish 
a single answer which reason or philosophy can approve. 
And now, with ail these evidences of the truth and holy 
authority of the gospel of the Son of God, skeptics would 
fain attempt to persuade us to reject the only religion which 



DIVINE REVELATION. 185 

can direct us in the paths of innocence and peace, enlarge 
t)ur hopes and purify our lives ; and that too, without af- 
fording a particle of evidence that this religion is not bas- 
ed upon the revealed will and purpose of the Almighty 
Creator of heaven and earth. 

Passing from the miracles of the New Testament, we 
deem it expedient to notice a common and trite objection, 
which is urged against the gospel, on account of the dif- 
ference which appears in the genealogical tables, record- 
ed by Matthew and Luke. It is well known that there is 
a difference of several generations, in tracing them up to 
their original head. From this fact, modern infidels have 
taken the liberty to condemn the whole gospel history. 
But let us examine this objection fairly : Against what 
does it rest ? Does it have any bearing against the narra- 
tive of the birth, life, labors, miracles, doctrine, death or 
resurrection of Christ ? It is perfectly evident that it does 
not : — Nor will I insult your understandings &o much as 
to adduce any arguments to refute such an inconsistent 
and gratuitous pretence. We again inquire, against what 
does this objection rest ? I answer — against nothing, 
except the fables of genealogy which were kept by the 
Jews, and from which the evangelists derived their au- 
thority for this part of their narratives. 

Again, — the difference of design, between these evan- 
gelists, will readily account for the disparity between their 
genealogies, which comprise a period of four ihoiisond 
years J from Adam, to Joseph and Mary. Matthew's gen- 
ealogy was obviously designed for the benefit of the Jews ; 
it " therefore traces the pedigree of Jesus Christ, as {\m 
promised seed, downwards from Abraham to David, and 
from him through Solomon's line to Jacob, the father 
of Joseph, who was the reputed or legal father of Christ. 
Matt. i. i-16. That given by Luke was evidently in- 
tended for the Gentiles : it therefore reverses the order, 
tracing the pedigree upwards, from Heli, the father of 
Mary, through the line of Nathan, instead of Solomon, 
and from Nathan to Abraham, and from him, up to Adam, 
who was produced by the miraculous power of God. Who- 
ever will take the trouble of tracing the genealogy record- 
ed bv St. Luke, will readily discover that he was tracing 
17 



iOO DEFENCE OF 

the pedigree of jMary ; while it is equally obvious that 
Matthew was tracing the pedigree of Joseph. Thus the 
mighty objection about which Deists and Atheists have 
harped with so much confidence, resolves itself either in- 
to the imperfection of those Jewish tables from which 
these evangelists drew their records, or the difference 
which really existed in the lines through which the gene- 
alogies of Joseph and Mary were traced. Of the imper- 
fection of the record which St. Matthew used, there can 
-be no rational doubt, since three generations are omitted 
in that genealogy, between Joram and Ozias, as may be 
seen by consulting the books of the Chronicles. 

These are the principal objections which have been 
urged, and depended upon by modern skeptical writers^ 
and it is easy to discover their weakness. They are ob- 
jections which the Jews never thought it prudent to pre- 
fer, nor did the pagans venture to depend on their force, 
in opposing the progress of the gospel. 

Before we dismiss the subject of objections, it is expe« 
dient to notice one which is founded upon the apparent 
difficulties attending the account of the resurrection of 
Christ. It is obvious that the historians harmonize in 
their relations concerning the time of the crucifixion, as 
also concerning the period in which the Saviour is said to 
have risen from the dead. The fact, however, of such 
an event, is both doubted and disputed. It has never 
been denied by the opposers of revelation, at least, by 
those who credit the voice of history, that Christ was cru- 
cified in a public manner, and that he expired upon the 
cross, as is set forth by the Evangelists. Nor can it be 
admitted by any man of sober reflection, that the envious 
Jews would permit him to escape from the suffering and 
death to which he was condemned, when he was fairly 
placed within their power. 

It must appear evident to every reader of the INew 
Testament, that a very great importance was attached to 
this single fact in the' history of Christ. It had been the 
theme of ancient prophecy, and so clearly predicted by 
Isaiah, in the Jifty'third chapter of the revelations which 
were made to him, that every attentive, inquiring and un- 
prejudiced mind could easily discover that this event must 



DIVIx\E REVELATION. 187 

transpire, and that it was embraced in the mission of the 
Son of God. It was foretold by the Saviour himself, that 
he should be betrayed and crucified, and that on the ihird 
day he should rise again. 

This declaration was remembered by his enemies, who 
had been actively engaged to procure his condemnation. 
They therefore adopted such measures and employed such 
means as they thought necessary to prevent the occur- 
rence of imposture, and to preclude the possibility of any 
deception or fraud, on the part of his disciples. They had 
witnessed the tragical scene of hrs death, and appear to 
have been unmoved and unsubdued by all the astonishing 
phenomena which attended his expiring moments. For 
though the splendors of the king of day had been veiled 
for the space of three long hours^ in v/hich the Prince of 
glory hung upon the fatal tree ; though the earth was 
moved with convulsive pangs, to witness the presence of 
the dread Sovereign of the universe, still their hearts re- 
mained under the fatal spell of moral darkness and re- 
venge. They therefore repaired to the governor of Ju- 
dea, declaring that they remembered hearing this immac- 
ulate sufferer, whom they branded as a deceiver^ announce 
before his crucifixion, that in three days he should rise 
again : And to counteract every deceptive purpose, they 
begged permission to seal the tomb, and place a guard at 
the door of the sepulchre, assigning as a reason, their 
fears, lest his disciples should come and steal him away, 
and report that he had risen from the dead. 

They obtained permission to render all secure, to the 
utmost extent of human means : But mark the great event 
which frustrated all their dark designs and realized the 
truth of his predictions. The third, the appointed day, 
began to dawn upon the mountains of Judea, when the 
eventful moment of his triumph approaches ! A messen- 
ger from God descends to earth, which trembles in con- 
vulsions at his approach ^ The ponderous stone removes 
from the entry of the tomb, and the Mighty Captive comes 
forth from the bed of death, vvith all the renewed energies 
of life, and exemplifies the glorious doctrine of immortali- 
ty in his victorious conquest of the king of terrors ! Sen- 
tineis shrink at the presence of his glory and become af^i 



-oo DLFEXCE OF 

dead men ! The morneiat of triumph to the powers of dark- 
ness is ended in the indescribable confusion of his foes y- 
and the friends of the suffering and innocent Redeemer 
again rejoice and experience a rekindling of all their bet- 
ter hopes ; for He that was dead, and alive again, afford- 
ed theni the occular demonstrations of his triumphant re- 
surrection from the tomb. 

Recovered from their consternation and dread, the 
guards repair to the city and inform the chief Priests^ 
of the astonishing event which had transpired. These 
priests bribe them to report that his disciples had stolen 
him away while thej slept ! The temptation succeeded, 
and this strange report obtained such an extensive credit, 
that it is even employed in the nineteenth centmnj^ to de- 
lude the unwary, and to cast suspicion and odium upon 
the christian cause. 

As weak and absurd as this wicked pretence must ap- 
pear to every candid and reflecting mind ; the circum- 
stance of its being employed to oppose the divine authori- 
ty of the Saviour's doctrine and mission, renders it neces- 
sary to treat it with sobriety, and meet and effectually ex- 
plode it with facts which are afforded by the story itself. 
It is admitted on the part of our opposers themselves, that 
this guard was composed of Roman soldiers, who wer(& 
under the discipline and laws of the Roman empire. These 
laws prescribed the punishment of death for a soldier on 
guard, who should be convicted of sleeping upon his post. 
The story itself affords sufficient evidence that these sol- 
diers were aware of this fact ; for in additon to the sum of 
money which they offered them as a reioard for the propa- 
gation of this story, they found it necessary to use persuct'' 
sio/i, and finally to promise them that if this accouut came 
to the ears of the Governor, they would persuade him and 
rescue them. Thus you see that the account itself refutes 
the idle story of his having been stolen by his disciples. 

But let us examine this case still further, that we may 
investigate a little closer, the character of this testimony^ 
as to its credibility. They come forward as witnesses to 
criminate the disciples of Christ, and directly charge them 
with sfealin^ the body of Jesus from the sepulchre : And 
is this report entitled to credit ? Is it reasonable to Bup- 



DIVINE REVELATION. 189 

pose that a few timid and unarmed disciples would hazard 
such an enterprise as that of approaching a strong guard of 
veteran soldiers, break the seal, roll away the stone, and 
remove the body of their Master ; or that they could ex- 
ecute all this without meeting with any resistance from the 
guard ? This story is certainly too preposterous to urge 
upon rational and ingenuous minds; and it evidently appear- 
ed so to the chief priests and the soldiers ; for it is obvi- 
ous that they must have suffered the punishment of cow- 
ards for permitting the body to be removed ; and that these 
priests would have been among the foremost and most 
clamorous of their accusers. Pilate w^ould have been urg- 
ed to inflict the most exemplary punishment upon them 
for such an unpardonable violation of duty. In a word ; 
such cowardice in a guard of Roman soldiers would have 
cost them their lives. All these facts were doubtless as 
evident to them as to us, — and to obviate this objection to 
their testimony, we shall doubtless be told that the senti- 
nels were all fast locked in the arms of slumber, and there- 
fore incapable of resistance : But this plea is still more 
unfortunate for the character of the witnesses than the 
former. To show the weakness and folly of this pretence, 
let us institute a court of inquiry. A charge of f/ie/"/ is pre- 
ferred against the disciples, and these military watchmen 
are summoned as witnesses. They are interrogated as to 
what they know about the body of Jesus, which by some 
means has been removed from the tomb. Here let the 
Court inquire, — Witnesses, were you employed on guard 
at the tomb of Joseph, where the body of one Jesus was 
deposited for safe-keeping } Jlmwer; We were. — Question: 
Has that body been removed from the place where it was 
deposited .'' Ansiver ; It has. — Quesiion : By what means 
was it removed } Answer ; His disciples came on the eve 
of the first day of the week and bore the body away from 
the tomb. — Question : Did they come armed, and in such 
numbers as to render all the resistance of your force inef- 
fectual } Answer ; They did not oppose us with any force, 
whatever ! — Question ; By what means then, did they ob- 
tain the body ? Ansiver ; they stole it, while we were all 
asleep ! — Question : But how could you know that the dis- 
ciples of Jesus stole and bore away hiis body, if you were 
]7# 



190 DEFENCE OF 

all asleep ? This question confounds the witnesses at 
once : They perceive the impossibility attending the be- 
lief of their story, and stand convicted of perjury. 

Now what is the evidence that Christ did actually rise 
from the dead ? We answer — He appeared to his eleven 
apostles, to some of those venerable matrons who had 
ministered to his necessities before his crucifixion, and 
finally, to more than five hundred witnesses at one time, 
the greater part of whom were alive upon the earth, and 
could be appealed to in confirmation of the fact, — for the 
greater part of them were still living, so late as the period 
in which St. Paul wrote his first epistle to the Corinthi- 
ans ; bearing date about twenty-four years after the event 
of the resurrection transpired. In additiun to the testi- 
mony of ail these eye-witnesses, the apostles gave evi- 
dence of the fact, wherever they were employed in the 
minis^try of reconciliation, by the infallible sign of mira- 
cles, performed in the name of their risen Redeemer. 
No stronger proof could be necessary to establish this im- 
portant truth ; nor was any other required to silence every 
objection to the doctrine of the resurrection and a future 
immortal existence. 

Having, as I trust, settled the question of the resurrec- 
tion, by fair and rational evidence, I shall devote a pass- 
ing notice to a few objections of a different character, or 
rather unreasonable pleas, which are employed in exten- 
uation of unbelief. We are told by opponents to the gos- 
pel, that if the religion taught by Christ were true, and 
susceptible of clear and convincing proof, all its profess- 
ors would be of one sentiment ; that there would be no 
discord nor division among them ; but all would be har- 
mony and peace. We reply — that for a time, this was the 
state of the christian church, and it continued in this tran- 
quil condition, until a few headstrong enthusiasts, who 
had become ^^ wise in their mvn conceits, and wise above 
what was written," assumed the responsibility of depart- 
ing from the simplicity of the gospel r From that period, 
divisions arose among christians, and the pernicious ex- 
ample has been followed to the present day. Notwith- 
standing these divisions, however, christians of all denom- 
inations are still agreed upon nearly all the essential 



DivlNE REVELATIOxV. 191 

truths of the gospel ; and entirely agreed in acknowledg- 
ing that the scriptures are the only standard of religious 
faith and practice. 

But the plea which we are considering supposes that 
whatever is true, and susceptible of rational evidence, will 
admit of no dispute or division of opinion. The applica- 
tion of this hypothesis, however, will sufficiently expose 
its absurdity. There were never two histories published 
of the same people and of the same events, .which were 
in all respects precisely the same : And of course, among 
the readers of these different histories, there would be a 
corresponding difference of opinion. But does this fact 
justify the conclusion that we ought to reject all historical 
descriptions, and contentedly sit down in ignorance of 
other men, of other countries and of other times ? Again 
—•No system of philosophy ever obtainsd credit in the 
world, about the interpretation of Vv^hose principles there 
has not existed some difference of opinion : And pray, 
are we to abandon and discard philosophy, merely because 
men always have, and still do continue to differ about the 
meaning of some of the terms which it employs in explain- 
ing its principles } What science has ever been taught, 
whose character is not such as to admit of mathematical 
demonstration, which has not been the subject of contro- 
versy ? There is none-~and would it not be deemed mad- 
ness in us to reject and despise history, and all the scien- 
ces, merely on account of men's differing in opinion con- 
cerning them ? There can be but one answer to this 
question ; for every man of the least reflection and intel- 
ligence must instantly decide, that their rejection, on ac- 
count of any trifling disagreement about the meaning of 
the terms in which they are conveyed, would be the 
height of folly and absurdity. 

The same principle and reasoning will apply, and with 
still greater force, to the christian religion. Its history 
comes to us from a foreign langiiage, which is capable, in 
many instances, of a variety of meaning : that is ; many 
of the orio;inal words may be so translated, as to give 
birth to different sentiments, as to the meaning of the au- 
thor, thoufi^h the g^eneral scope of the author's meaning 
will be readily and fairly comprehended by every class of 



192 DEFENCE OF 

his readers. From this difference in the interpretation of 
readers, has originated the variety of sentiment which 
characterizes the christian world at the present day. 
And would it not be the extreme of rashness to reject the 
only system which holds out the hope of immortality and 
eternal Hie, because a trifling difference of opinion is en- 
tertained concerning the meaning of the words in which a 
few of its doctrines are conveyed, — and more especially 
so, since we refuse to lay aside any other science for the 
same reason ? If the gospel is to be rejected for the rea- 
son which the plea under consideration urges, then must 
all, or nearly all, human laws be condemned and rejected 
for the same reason : for they have always been the sub- 
ject of controversy, and have given birth to every variety 
of interpretation, which the interest or ingenuity of men 
could suggest. But the candid and the upright, will, on 
this account, neither reject the one, nor abandon the 
other. 

Some have professed to indulge doubts of the divine au- 
thority, truth and moral influence of Christianity, on ac- 
count of many of its professors walking disorderly, and in- 
dulging themselves in practices which are evidently sinful 
and injurious to society. This charge, we confess, is toa 
W'ell founded for denial, and is a fact deeply to be lament- 
ed by every sincere disciple ofthe christian religion. Yet 
it ought to be remembered, that this is not the fault of re- 
ligion, but the sin of its possessor. You might with as 
much propriety condemn the w^holesome laws of our land, 
because there are individuals professing to be the friends 
of good government, ivho, nevertheless, openly, and hab- 
itually transgress these laws, as to condemn and reject 
Christianity because some of its professors are guilty of 
transgressing its divine and wholesome commands. 

Many have doubtless been induced to reject the script- 
ures, on account of certain doctrines which they have 
been supposed to teach and enforce : But tracing these 
impressions to their legitimate source, they will, in almost 
every in^^tance, be found to be the offspring of early cate- 
chetical instruction : And my hearers, we are all undoubt- 
edly aware, that early impressions are frequentlv the most 
deep and lasting. It may be proper here to notice a few 



I 



DIVINE REVELATION. 195 

examples, of^uch rejections, the most of which have come 
under the observation of your speaker. 

The popular theory of election and re'prohationy to states 
directly opposite and unending, has frequently been urged 
as an insuperable barrier to the belief of divine revela- 
tion. For it is contended with great assurance, that thi^ 
doctrine is at war with the justice and benevolence of 
God, as displayed in the order and munificence of his 
surrounding providence : That it exhibits the character 
of the Creator in the light of reprehensible partiality, and 
infinitely hostile to the happiness of countless millions of 
his own offspring ! But my hearers ; this objection can 
have no just bearing against the scriptures, but merely 
against certain interpretations which have been given of 
detached passages, by particular sects of christian pro- 
fessors. And you might, with equal propriety, condemn 
the most wholesome and salutary law of our country, be- 
cause some ingenious lawyer, in pleading a doubtful 
cause, has given that law an offensive interpretation ; as 
to reject and condemn the scriptures for the reason here 
alleged. 

By another class, the doctrine of the Trinily is seized 
as a pretext for renouncing the authority of the Bible^ 
and appealing to the volume of nature as their only guide. 
To the volume of nature, there can be no reasonable ob- 
jection, so far as its instructions extend. But why re- 
nounce the Bible ?— -The objection here proposed, has no 
bearing against revelation — it is merely an objection to 
the popular interpretation of a few isolated passages of 
the New Testament : and like the former, is the offspring 
of human wisdom. It cannot be denied that the evangel- 
ical writings clearly teach, that '' to us there is but one 
God," and that Jesus ^^ is the Christ, the Son of the liv- 
ing God." But admitting they taught the doctrine of the 
Trinity : Does nature rectify the error ? Does it infallibly 
teach us that there is but one God } No — nor can it be 
proved, by an appeal to nature, that there are not as many 
gods as the heathen mythology naaintains. 

Again — The doctrine of endless miseryy whose very 
thought infuses horror and despair into every region of 
the soul, and haunts the reiiection of guilty mortals, is 



194 DEFENCE OF 

brought forward as a justifiable reason for rejecting the 
doctrines of the Bible. It is contended, with much appa- 
rent plausibility, that if this doctrine be worthy of credit, 
it must have been in pursuance of an original and eternal 
design of the Creator: since with him there can be 
nothing new ; nor does his nature and perfections admit 
of any " variableness or shadow of turning." The doc- 
trine appears, therefore, to many of the most reflecting, to 
be the same, in substance, with that of unconditional dec- 
Hon and reprobation. And so long as the smiles and bless- 
ings of Divine Providence appear to be impartial and uni- 
versal, skeptics Vrill appeal to this doctrine to justify their 
unbelief of revelation. But the answers which were ap- 
plied to the foregoing objections, may be urged with equal 
success in the present case. For this doctrine as really 
depends upon the popular interpretation of certain ex- 
pressions in the New Testament, denoting duration, as a 
stream depends on its fountain. It is therefore futile to 
depend upon the interpretations of men, for the meaning 
of the sacred text, when their expositions are often at war 
with the original sentiments intended to be conveyed by 
the text. The New Testament stands upon a foundation 
entirely different ; and assures us that '^ the tender mer- 
cies of the Lord are over all his works," — that he is "no 
respecter of persons." Hence it is obvious, that notwith- 
standing this doctrine should be rejected, the Bible may 
nevertheless be received and credited : For you are doubt- 
less aware that multitudes believe the Bible, yet reject 
this doctrine with the deepest abhorrence. With such, it 
is in vain to plead the absolute free agency of man ; for 
they insist that no agency could have been imparted to the 
creature, whose effects were not foreseen ; and in case it 
was known to the Creator, that such an agency would, on 
the whole, prove injurious to the creature, the gift itself 
would prove the Deity unkind, and as really impeach his 
justice, as the hypothesis of election, which we have be- 
fore considered. 

There are others, who lightly esteem, and even ques- 
tion the inspiration of the scriptures, on the supposition 
that they teach the equal happiness of all men at death. 
Such allege that a vast disparity is seen in the coniduct 



DIVINE REVELATION. 195 

of 'men, in this world ; and that the most virtuous and up- 
right often endure every kind of misfortune and affliction ; 
end their days in poverty and wretchedness, and have 
jcarcely tasted the cup of joy and contentment : — That 
the Bible teaches the doctrine of a just and righteous re- 
tribution, according to every man's works : let by limit- 
ing both the one and the other to this state of being, such 
rewards appear not to be administered ; nor yet is the de- 
sign of punishment secured, since the acknowledged object 
of humbling, subduing, and reforming the sinner, is not 
secured by any course of discipline of which he is the sub- 
ject in the present life ! That on the other hand, they of- 
ten go out of the world, while engaged in the prosecution 
of the most daring and high-handed wickedness, bearing 
all the marks of determined hostility to the laws of heaven 
and earth ! — We readily admit that this would be a seri- 
ous objection to the scriptures ; and that in case they 
taught such a doctrine, the task of reconciling them with 
matters of fact, which pass under our observation, would 
be hopeless. But why urge this hypothesis as an objec- 
tion to revelation ? It has no connexion with the scriptures; 
but like those which have already been considered is op- 
posed only to the interpretation of certain portions of scrip- 
ture, which, with the great body of professing christianSj 
is regarded as an extravagant creation of human fancy. 
It is well understood by this congregation, that your speak- 
er most ardently and sincerely believes the scriptures to 
contain a faithful revelation from God, and that its holy 
instructions are able to make us wise unto salvation : And 
while he rejects the sentiments we have been considering, 
as unscriptural, he endeavors most scrupulously to main- 
tain the doctrine, that God " will reward every man ac- 
cording to his works ;" nor will he presume to ^' limit the 
holy one of Israel" to the present life of man on earth, for 
the punishments of sin, or the rewards of virtue. He will 
rest contented with the glorious prospect which revelation 
unfolds, and rejoice in the confident anticipation of the 
final ^'Restitution of all things, which God has spoken by 
the mouth of all his holy prophets, since the world began." 
Multitudes have fallen in with the plausible and subtle 
objections of skepticism, for want of suitable information 



196 DEFENCE 0^ 

eoncerniug the general subjects which the christian rehg- 
ion embraces. Christianity is a subject which cannot be 
comprehended at a single glance ; nor can its evidences 
!3-e clearly investigated without the devotion of time and 
serious reflection. Whoever expects to become acquaint- 
ed with the doctrines, hopes and evidences of the gospel, 
without devoting his mind to the discipline of serious in- 
quiry and investigation, will find himself mistaken in the 
anticipation, and will, it is to be feared, either become an 
ignorant enthusiast, or shortly sally into the vortex of in- 
Sdelity. The Saviour of the world was aware of this 
fact, and therefore exhorted his countrymen to '^ search 
the scriptures." And this exhortation is still more need- 
ful at the present day, when so many allurements await 
the profession of Christianity, and so many temptations are 
exerting their influence to lead us astray. 

It is a lamentable truth, however, that there are but 
few^ who seriously engage in the investigation of the evi- 
dences on which the credibility of the gospel depends. — 
The greater part of mankind are either too much engross- 
ed with the cares and perplexities of life ; or are too in- 
different to the infinite concerns of religion, to enter deep- 
ly and feelingly into the investigation of its principles and 
evidences. Among the great mass of mankind, but fe\w 
have the patience to enter the field of honest and labori- 
ous inquiry, and to push their investigations so far as to 
detect the haughty pretensions of infidelity, or to be able 
to meet and repel the insidious attacks of infidel philoso- 
phy ; which, like the camelion, changes its hues as often 
as it comes in contact with a different object. An inti- 
mate acquaintance with prophecy and history is indi pen- 
sable to the success and certain triumph of revealed relig- 
ion. But how ^ew there are who are disposed to devote 
a sufficient share of their time and attention to master a 
subject of such importance. Those who are satisfied with 
the internal evidences of the gospel, and such as are ex- 
empted from serious doubt, by the force of early educa« 
tion, do not often discover the necessity of all this labor 
and time, and therefore leave the subject to be investiga- 
ted by those who have both the leisure and inclination. 



t)IVlNE REVELATION. 19" 

^he infidelity of all ages has acquired, for the most 
part, the little popularity which it has been able to boast, 
by assuming the character of a lofty and commanding 
philosophy, which casts aside, and affects to pity and de- 
plore the vulgar prejudices of ignorance, and proposes to 
raise the human race above the degraded condition to 
which they have been reduced by the desolating influence 
of sordid superstition. It appeals to the pride of the hu- 
man heart, and flatters the vanity of those whom it designs 
to allure from their allegiance to the cause of revealed 
truth. No weapon which it has ever employed, has prov- 
ed more successful : For nothing was ever more congen- 
ial to that native self-esteem, v/hich enters so largely into 
the constitution of the human character, than the desire 
and prospect of being distinguished for singular fortitude, 
and a noble elevation of thought, above the grovelling 
prejudices of mankind. So artfully has modern skepti- 
cism applied its influence to the native vanity and pride 
of the human heart, that it has often induced the unsus- 
picious youth to believe that a renunciation of revelation 
would be the means of distinguishing them as philoso- 
phers, and men of extensive and useful knowledge. Thus 
has the flattering appeals of infidelity, to one of the strong- 
est passions of men, turned aside the feet of youth from 
the path of religion, and blighted the fairest prospects of 
happiness. 

There is another cause which exerts a powerful influ- 
ence upon the minds of men, unfavorable to the reception 
and practice of that pure and undefiled religion, so clearly 
taught in thre scriptures of the New Testament. I allude 
to the love of sinful pleasure, which, to a greater or less 
extent, predominates in the hearts of every class of hu- 
man beings. It is well known that the preceptive au- 
thority of the gospel of Christ, imposes restraints upon 
every passion of human nature, requiring that these pas- 
sions be kept, or circumscribed, in their indulgence, with- 
in the bounds of innocence and justice. The reasons 
in vindication of this law of restriction, are too obvious 
to require any explanation, since the multiplied exam- 
ples of their unrestrained indulgence have often deluged 
nations in bloody and uniformly tended to prostrate innc- 
18 



198 DEPEXCE OF 

cence, and sunder the purest ties that bind society 10=^ 
gether. 

Pride is one of the most subtle passions which is nur- 
tured in the human heart. Its influence is diffused through 
the thoughts, the looks, the language, sentiments and ac- 
tions of mankind : But the love of pleasure, prompted by 
the impetuous current of human passions, often renders 
its possessor absolutely impatient of all restraint, and fre- 
quently urges him on the most daring adventures, regard- 
less of all the bitter consequences which may possibly re- 
sult to individuals or to community at large. Either the 
authority of the gospel, therefore, must be disregarded, 
or sinful pleasure, with every passion which its indulgence 
requires, must be held in absolute and continual subordi- 
nation. Those who are strongly disinclined to forego the 
momentary gratifications of sinful indulgence, are easily 
persuaded to throw off the stern restraints which Christ- 
ianity imposes, by adopting that kind of philosophy which 
acknowledges no other guide but nature, and resolves the 
whole science of happiness into the gratification of tem- 
poral desire. 

The dignified humility which the religion of Jesus 
Christ requires, and the lessons of equality which diver- 
sify its instructions, are so incompatible with the sugges- 
tions of human pride, and are supposed to detract so much 
from the distinctions of rank, birth and fortune, which are 
the boast of thousands, that the temptation to reject its au- 
thority, and to assume a loftier carriage than its self-deny- 
ing doctrines will either justify or admit^ acquires addition- 
al strength, and often precipitates its victim into the vor- 
tex of infidelity, and deprives him of all the advantages 
and refinements of mural virtue, which spring from faith 
in the covenant of divine grace, and hope in the unfailing 
promise of eternal life. Hence the necessity of fortifying 
the youthful mind against all these allurements, and of en- 
couraging them in the early cultivation of all the graces 
and virtues which the gospel of a risen Saviour enjoins. 

In closing this discourse, I shall mention one, and but 
one more cause, which tends to induce mankind to reject 
the wholesome instructions of revelation. There is in the 
heart of every human being, something which tells him 



DIVIxVE REVELATION, ' 199 

that he is a sinner ; and he is apprized by the plainest in- 
structions of the Bible, that sin disqualifies him for the 
approbation of God and the happiness of heaven. It is 
the language and sentiments of revelation, which he per- 
ceives to be the cause of his disquietude ; and unwilling 
to abandon those pursuits from which he hopes to de- 
rive both pleasure and profit ; disturbed by the conscious- 
ness of guilt, and assured by the warning voice of revela- 
tion that the Judge of quick and dead will render to him 
a just recompense of reward, he becomes impatient to 
free himself from the dread of punishment, as well as 
from all the restraints which the gospel has imposed ; and 
thus to enjoy a more unrestrained liberty to follow the im- 
pulse of all his unchastened and unsanctified desires. To 
accomplish all this, and stifle the admonitions of conscience, 
he seizes upon every plausible pretext to justify a renunci- 
ation of the scriptures. Like the Jews of old, he soon 
acquires the art of evading the plainest evidence of truth, 
and finally becomes a proficient in the fearful labyrinths 
of skeptical philosophy. Instead of forsaking the prac- 
tice of sin, by turning to the obedience of Christ, he aug- 
ments the aggregate of his offences and his condemnation, 
relinquishes all the exhilarating anticipations of future 
beatitude, and finally drags out a precarious existence, 
" without God and without hope in the world !" Be- 
ware, then, my friends, of these fatal allurements, and be 
admonished by the wisdom from on high^ to choose ^' the 
better part„'' 



LECTURE XV. 



St. Johs", X. 20, 21. 
«« And many of them said. He hath a devil and is mad ; why hear 
ye him ? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a 
devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind ■*' 

In my last Lecture upon this subject, I briefly replied 
to some of the principal and popular objections to the gos- 
pel of Christ, and remarked upon some of the obvious and 
leading causes of infidelity. The design of our pre-^ent 
labors is to consider the moral influence of skepticism, 
notice the acknowledgments of skeptical writers in favor 
of revealed religion, and contrast the hopes of infidelity 
with those which Christianity unfolds. To determine what 
is the moral influence of skeptical opinions, we are not at 
liberty to select those who are, to all outward appearance, 
the most upright and virtuous among the opposers of re- 
vealed religion ; for it is well known that such men have 
been educated in and are influenced by principles totally dif- 
ferent from those which they now profess. And to do them 
justice, we frankly confess that some of them are examples 
of sobriety, justi(te, benevolence and probity ; which rea- 
der their lives worthy of commendation. But it will not, 
it cannot be pretended, that they have derived these good 
moral principles, by which they are governed, from exam- 
ples or sentiments which are at war with the christian re- 
ligion. They must have been the effect of a purer influ- 
ence, and of a system infinitely more refined than that 
of any theory of infidelity which has ever been presented 
to the notice of mankind. It is a fact of universal notori- 
ety, that the early impressions which men receive, wheth- 
er good or bad, produce an astonishing effect upon their 
lives, their moral feelings and habits of thinking, even 
through the whole course of their mortal existence : So 
that in order to test the legitimate influence of skeptical 



DIVINE REVELATION. 201 

philosophy, we ought to select examples, where the influ- 
ence of christian instruction and christian principles have 
never been exerted, and where these have never had the 
opportunity of proving the strength of their salutary pow- 
ers. Let this be done, and we shall look in vain for a sin- 
gle example of reformation^ through all the ranks of Atheis- 
tical, or of Deistical philosophy. 

My hearers, you may plod through all the volumes of 
ancient and modern literature, and scrutinize every page 
of ancient and modern history ; and we challenge you to 
produce a single example to show that the principles of 
infidelity have resulted in the reformation of a libertine^ a 
man of intemperate habits, a thief, a man of profanity, an 
extortioner, a liar, or a tyrant or oppressor of man ! The 
annals of Deism and Atheism, with all their pretensions 
to philosophy and superior wisdom, do not afford an ex- 
ample of a single convert to their principles, who, in con- 
sequence of embracing either the one or the other, has 
been led to break off from a course of sinful practices, or 
been checked in the career of vicious indulgence. They 
have never turned the dissolute from the pursuit of intem- 
perate and sinful pleasures, nor restrained the propensi- 
ties of one of their proselytes for the most criminal and 
voluptuous indulgence ! What, then, has infidelity done 
to recommend itself to the favorable notice of the wise and 
reflecting part of community ? We answer, nothing : But 
we will tell you what it has done. It has labored to re- 
lease men from all the wholesome restraints of religion 
and conscience ! For, discovering the insufficiency of hu- 
man laws and penalties to restrain the licentiousness of 
man, it has plied all its ingenuity and strength to extin- 
guish the latent fire of devotion, and to efiace the impres- 
sion of man's accountability to the moral law of his Ma- 
ker : and wherever it has proved succesful in these at- 
tempts, it has broken down the wholesome barriers to 
vice, sundered the purest ties of virtue and religion, and 
fostered the growth and indulgence of every impure and 
unwieldy propensity of human nature! It has never ef- 
fected the penitential return of a single sinner from the 
evil of his ways, nor engaged the heart of one of its sub- 
jects in the pursuit of practical godliness. But on the 
18* 



202 DEFENCE OF 



^^ 



other hand, it has emboldened the heart of many an un- 
suspicious youth, to break through all the restraints of 
early religious instruction, to trample upon the holy man- 
dates of inspiration, to scoff at the authority of the gospel 
of Christ, and wantonly to swell and strengthen the impet- 
uous current of every unholy desire. Alas, for the folly 
and madness of infidelity ! Every friend of God, every 
lover of moral order and virtue, and every member of hu- 
man society whose heart glows with the elevated and en- 
nobling sentiments of generous philanthropy, must weep 
over the moral ruins which it has occasioned, and pity the 
misguided zeal of its deluded votaries. 

We see thai its moral influence tends to desolation and 
misery, and that it aims to prostrate the fairest temple on 
which the smiles of Heaven ever rested — the temple of 
moral virtue and truth ! That it unbridles the passions of 
the vicious, endangers the virtue of innocence, and looks 
with unconcern upon the dark rolling waters of iniquity, 
without an apparent effort to stay their impetuous torrent, 
or to snatch the deluded victim of its power from the 
hasty current that bears him to the gulf of wretchedness, 
to the ocean of ruin ! It possesses no feature that is love- 
ly or attractive to the serious, reflecting and religious 
mind, nor a solitary characteristic influence that is not 
dreaded by every friend to moral virtue and religion. — 
The duties of piety and devotion are excluded from its 
assemblies, and the refined enjoyments of evangelical 
faith are the objects of its scorn and derision ! Surely, 
then, 

" It is an object of sucli hideous mein, 
That to be hated, needs but to be seen.'* 

Here, my friends, you may be relieved from the odious 
picture of infidelity, so painful to the mental vision of 
every virtuous mind, and employ your thoughts in survey- 
ing the lovely features of Christianity, and in admiring the 
habiliments of innocence and peace with which she is 
adorned. So obvious and impressive are her moral charms, 
that the pen of infidelity itself, though usually dipped in 
gall, has been forced to record her merits ! With the en- 
comiums which unbelievers have bestowed upon the chris- 
tian religion, skeptics have no reason to find fault ;' nor 



DIVINE REVELATION. 203 

can they be rejected without the sacrifice of reason and 
conscience. Lord Herbert, of the seventeenth century, 
though a deistical writer of considerable note, styles 
Christianity '' the best religion,''^ and confesses that all 
the doctrines, ordinances, precepts and sacraments which 
it contains, have for their object the establishment of five 
essential articles, in which he supposes all religion to con- 
sist 

Tindale, a deistical author of the succeeding age, ac- 
knowledges that " Christianity itself, stripped of all addi- 
tions which policy, mistake, and the circumstances of time 
have made to it, is a most holy religion."']' Chubb, an- 
other skeptical writer of the same century, has expressed 
an opinion, that if Christianity could be separated from the 
impurity which has been blended with it, it would afford 
a clearer light, and be more safe as a guide to mankind, 
than any other traditionary religion, and better adapted 
to the improvement and perfection of human nature. J — 
Lord Bolingbroke, a learned and celebrated English 
skeptic, considers Christianity as a most amiable and use- 
ful institution, and declares that ^' No religion ever ap- 
peared in the world whose natural tendency was so much 
directed to promote the peace and happiness of mankind." 
To these, he adds the following plain and frank acknowl- 
edgments of the excellency of the christian religion — 
^^ Besides natural religion, there are two other parts into 
which Christianity maybe analyzed; duties superadded 
to those of the former, and articles of belief, which reason 
could neither discover nor comprehend. Both the duties 
required to be practised, and the propositions required to 
be delivered, are concisely and plainly expressed in the 
original gospel, properly so called, which Christ taught 
and his four evangelists recorded." Of Baptism and the 
Lord's Supper, he confesses, that " No institutions can 
be imagined more simple, not more void of all those pom- 
pous rites and theatrical representations which abound in 
the religions of the heathens and Jews, than these were 
in their origin. They were not only innocent^ but profit* 

* Herbert, Relig Laici. p. 9, 10. 

t Christianity as old as Creation, p. 38% 8vo. 

t Chiibb's Postli. Works, vol. ii. p. 370. 



^04 DEFENCE OF 

able ceremonies, because they were extremely proper to 
keep up the spirit of true natural religion, by keeping up 
that of Christianity ; and to promote the observance of 
moral duties, by maintaining a respect for the revelation 
that confirmed them. I will not say, the belief that Jesus 
was the Messiah, is the only article of belief necessary to 
make men christians. There are other things, doubtless, 
contained in the revelation he made of himself, dependent 
on and relative to this article, without the belief of which 
Christianity would be very defective. The system of re- 
ligion that Christ published, and his evangelists recorded, 
is a complete system to all the purposes of religion, natu- 
ral and revealed ; that it contains all the duties of the for- 
mer : it enforces them by asserting the divine mission of 
the publisher, who proved his assertion, at the same time, 
by his miracles : it enforces the whole law of faith, by 
promising rewards and threatening punishments, which he 
declares he will distribute when he shall come to judge 
the world. The gospel is, in all cases, one continued les- 
son of the strictest morality, of justice, of benevolence, 
and of universal charity. And the miracles wrought by 
him, in the mild and beneficent spirit of Christianity, tend- 
ed to the good of mankind. 

The political views of Constanfine in the establishment 
of Christianity, were to attach the subjects of the empire 
more firmly to himself and his successors ; and the sev- 
eral nations which composed it, to one another, by the 
bonds of a religion common to them all ; to soften the fe- 
rocity of their armies ; to reform the licentiousness of the 
provinces, and by infusing a spirit of moderation and sub- 
mission to government, to extinguish those principles of 
avarice and ambition, of injustice and violence, by which 
so many factions were formed, and the peace of the em- 
pire so often and so fatally broken ; no religion was so 
well calculated as Christianity seemed to be, to effect all 
these purposes." In a word, he expresses his conviction, 
that "genuine Christianity was taught of God — was re- 
vealed by God himself — that it is absurd and impious to 
assert that the divine Logos revealed it incompletely or 
imperfectly — and that its simplicity and plainness shows 



DIVINE REVELATION. 205 

it was designed to be the religion of all mankind^ and like- 
' wise manifests the divinity of its original."^ 

Rousseau, the learned and accomplished skeptical philos- 
opher of the eighteenth century, who opposed the prophe^ 
cies and miracles of the scriptures, with all the powers of 
his gigantic mind, offers the following tribute of respect for, 
and commendation of the scriptures, and of the character 
and doctrines of Jesus Christ, which are worthy of being 
transmitted to the latest posterity : 

'^ I confess that the majesty of the scri'ptures strikes me 
with admiration, and that the purity of the Gospel hath its 
influence on my heart ! Peruse the works of our philoso- 
phers, with all their pomp of diction ; how mean, how con- 
temptible are they, compared with the scriptures ! Is it 
possible that a book, at once so simple and sublime, should 
be merely the work of man ? Is it possible that the sacred 
personage, whose history it contains, should be himself a 
mere man ? Do we find that he assumed the tone of aa 
enthusiast or an ambitious sectary ? 

What sweetness, what purity in his manners ! What an 
affecting gracefulness in his delivery ! What sublimity in 
his maxims ! What profound wisdom in his discourses ! 
What presence of mind ; what subtlety, what truth in his 
replies ! How great the command over his passions! Where 
is the man, where is the philosopher, who could so live 
and so die, without weakness, and without ostentation ? 
When Plato described his imaginary good man with all the 
shame of guilt, yet meriting the highest rewards of virtue^ 
he gave a description of the character of Jesus Ohrist ; 
the resemblance was so striking, that all the christian Fa- 
thers perceived it. 

What py^epossession, what blindness must it be to compare 
Socrates, the son of Sophronicus, to Jesus, the son of Ma- 
ry ! What an infinite disproportion is there between them ! 
Socrates, dying without pains or ignominy, easily support- 
ed his character to the last ; but if his death, however easy, 
had not crowned his life, it might have been doubted 
whether Socrates, with all his wisdom, was any thing more 
than a vain sophist. 

'' See his Works, vol. iv. pp. 281, 282, 294, 301, 302, 304, 316,349. 



i206 DEFENCE OF 

He invented, it is said, the theory of morals. Others?, 
however, had before put them in practice ; he had only to 
say, therefore, what they had done, and to reduce their 
examples to precepts. But where could Jesus learn, 
among his competitors, that pure and sublime morality, of 
which he only, hath given us both precept and example ? 

The death of Socrates, peaceably philosophizing with 
his friends, appears the most agreeable that could be wish- 
ed for ; but that of Jesus, expiring in the midst of agon- 
izing pains, abused, insulted, and accused by a whole na- 
tion, is the most horrible that could be feared I 

Socrates, in receiving the cup of poison, blessed the 
weeping executioner who administered it ; but Jesus, in 
the midst of excruciating tortures, prayed for his merciless 
tormentors ! Yes ! if the life and death of Socrates were 
those of a Sage ; the life and death of Jesus were those of 
a God! 

Shall we suppose the evangelical history a mere fiction ? 
Indeed it bears not the marks of fiction ; on the contrary, 
the history of Socrates, which no one presumes to doubt, 
is not so well attested as that of Jesus Christ. 

It is more inconceivable that a number of persons should 
agree to write such an history, than that one only should 
furnish the subject of it. The Jewish authors were inca- 
pable of the diction, and strangers to the morality contain- 
ed in the gospel, the marks of the truth of which are so 
striking and inimitable, that the inventor would be a more 
astonishing character than the Hero."* 

Gibbon, the learned and celebrated author of the ^^His- 
tory of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire," ac- 
knowledges that '^ the prevalence of the Christian Religion 
was owing to the convincing evidence, itself, of the doc- 
trines, and the ruling providence of its great Author :^^ 
And he adds, "Every privilege that could raise the pros- 
elyte from earth to heaven ; that could exalt his devotion ; 
or secure his happiness, was still reserved for the mem- 
bers of the christian church."! 

* This qnotation from Rousseau, is taken from a pamphlet entitled 
♦< The Ag'e of Infidelity :" published in answer to Paine's " Age of 
Reason," by a Layman. 

f See Decline of the Roman Empire, Yol. i. pp. 536, 542. 



DIVINE REVELATION. 20t 

The authors which I have here quoted, are selected 
from the most celebrated, able, philosophical, classical, 
and historical writers that have ever appeared in the 
ranks of infidelity. They have volunteered such testimo- 
nies of respect, such tributes of acknowledgment in favor of 
Christianity and the whole system of revealed religion, as 
they could not in conscience withhold, and which they 
never ventured to bestow upon any other system of relig- 
ion which has ever been published to the world. These 
concessions of the vast and salutary advantages which 
Christianity bestows on man, in a moral, political and so- 
cial point of view, seem to be extorted from its very ene- 
mies, by the irresistible force of its truth and moral ex- 
cellence, which are so obvious to every attentive reader 
of the sacred pages. 

Even one of the most gross and outrageous defamers 
of revealed religion, and of Christianity in particular ; w^ho 
appeared to take delight in exhausting his ingenuity and 
strength to abuse and vilify the scriptures, and who has 
poured forth all the bitterness of his unprincipled satire 
and envenomed spleen against the purest institution that 
has ever cheered the abodes of human wretchedness ; af- 
ter all his coarse invective and abuse, admits the possibili^ 
iy of a divine revelation, declares his belief that Jesus 
Christ existed, preached most excellent morality, inculca- 
ted the equality of man, that he was crucified, and that the 
great trait in his character was philanthropy.* 

In the productions of almost every author who has 
written against Christianity, similar concessions and re- 
commendations are to be found, in favor of the moral 
character and influence of revealed religion : And while 
we acknowledge the justness of their encomiums, we are 
equally astonished at their inconsistency, in opposing 
what they themselves pronounce to be the best of all pos- 
sible systems for the elevation, refinement and happiness 
of mankind. 

So plain and familiar is the fact, to all those who have 
taken the pains to examine the preceptive code of the 
New Testament, that it solemnly enjoins all the duties of 
justice, equity, patience, sobriety, industry, truth, com- 

* Age of Reason, pp. 13, 22, 50. 



208 DEFENCE OF 

passion, gentleness, forgiveness, forbearance, meekness, 
peace, benevolence and universal philanthropy ; that it 
would be totally unnecessary and useless to quote exam- 
ples for its confirmation. Indeed, the fact is abundantly 
established by the united voice of all the enemies, as well 
as by the friends of divine revelation. And here I beg 
leave to ask the opposers of Christianity, how they can 
soberly justify their conduct, in a social and political 
point of view, when they array themselves against the 
purest rules of practical virtue, which if reduced to ex- 
periment, would dignify and elevate the moral character 
of society, spread and extend the blessings of peace and 
good government, promote order and harmony through 
all the ranks of social and intelligent beings, and remove 
such an aggregate of crime and misery from the world ? 
It will be no solution of our inquiry to be told, that those 
who profess to be its friends and supporters have injured 
its reputation, by abusing its authority and violating its 
commands ; — for they might as well, and with equal pro- 
priety, condemn the wholesome laws of our country, be- 
cause there have been, and still are men, who, notwith- 
standing they acknowledge the rightful authority of gov- 
ernment, are nevertheless, among the first to violate its 
wholesome institutions, and disregard its equitable re- 
quirements. They cannot but discover, if they will but 
give the subject a moment's serious reflection, that the 
fault does not attach itself to the institutions and laws of. 
revealed religion ; nor yet to the author and Founder of 
that religion ; but to those who a])use its authority, vio-^ 
late its commands, disregard its wholesome instructions, 
and turn a deaf ear to all its warnings and salutary ad- 
monitions. 

That Christianity sternly prohibits ail the vices v/hich 
corrupt and enslave mankind ; that it places the most 
solemn restraints upon human passions ; that it forbids 
the indulgence of all and every evil thought and design in 
the heart ; that it requires of all its subjects to avoid, not 
only evil itself, but to "shun every appearance of evil ;" 
that it prescribes an universal and perfect rule of action, 
vdien it demands with the most rational and dignified au- 
thority, " All things whatsoever ye would that men should 



DIVINE REVELATION 209 

do to you, do ye even so to them," and sanctions and en- 
forces' all these sacred rules of duty, not only by the con- 
sideration of all the happiness which the practice of these 
virtues must inevitably yield, but by the solemn assurance 
and conviction of man's accountability to God, who will 
" render indignation and wrath ; tribulation and anguish, 
upon every soul of man that doeth evil ;" are truths which 
no skeptic can deny, and which every christian knows to 
be the character of that religion which he has taken to be 
the guide of his life. 

That it has produced the most salutary effects upon the 
lives and morals of millions of the human race ; the histo- 
ry of all civilized nations most amply attests, and the daily 
observations of every candid and impartial mind, incon- 
frovertibly confirms. But can the same be said of the in- 
fluence of any of the systems of ancient heathen philoso- 
phy ; or of any system of that modern philosophy which 
rejects the divine authority of revelation ? That they nev- 
er did, and cannot be productive of such happy results, 
w^e will ofier you the most substantial proofs, which can- 
dor can demand. 

Cicero, one of the wisest and most accomplished philo- 
sophers among the heathen, w^ho flourished about fifty 
years before the birth of Christ, declares without the least 
reserve, that the ancient philosophers never reformed^ either 
ihemselves or their disciples ; and that he hiew not of a sin- 
gle example J in which either the teacher or the disciple was 
made virtuous by their principles.^ Lucian pronounces them 
a body ottyrants^ adidierers and corrupters of youth, Plu- 
tarch admits, y«a, declares, that Socrates and Plato were 
as inconsistent and intemperate as any slave ; and that Aris- 
totle was a fop, a destroyer of female innocence, and a 
traitor : While Dian Cassius ascribes to Seneca a char- 
acter no better than the former. Diogenes and Crates 
w^ere said to have committed crimes in open day, which I 
forbear to name, and that without any apparent shame or 
remorse. Speusippus was an adulterer in principle, and 
fell a sacrifice to the vengeance of abused and insulted hu- 
manity. Aristippus cheated his friend cut of money that 
was left in his hands, refused to educate his children, call- 
* See Deism Revealed. 
19 



tilO 



DEFEXCE OF 



ing them mere vermin, and committed other crimes which 
I ibrbear to name. Menippus murdered himself because 
he lost a sum of money ;— so did Zeno, Cieanthes, Chry- 
sippus Cleambrolus, Cato the younger, and Brutus, become 
their own executioners : While Xenophon was notorious 
for the crime which decency forbids our laws to call by 
its proper name. Plutarch admits these facts, but attempts 
to apologize for their offences, by saying, that ^' though 
they corrupted iheir bodies^ they made mncnds for it by im^ 
jrroving their souls P'' A most singular and extraordinary 
apology, and one that can reflect very little credit, either 
to him or his philosophers. To show that the ancient phi- 
losophers were, in practice, consistent with the principles 
w^hich they inculcated, I beg leave to lay before you a brief 
statement of v/hat they taught, as collected by Dr. Dwight, 
late President of Yale College. "• Z<no taught, that all 
crimes were equal ; that we ought never to forgive inju- 
ries ; and that the most abominable lewdness is lawful." 

Both Zcno and CIcanihes taught, that children may as 
lawfully roast and eat their parents, as any other food. 

Diogenes^ and the Cynics generally, taught, that parents 
may lawfully sacrifice and eat their children ; and that 
there is neither sin, nor shame, in the grossest and most 
public acts of licentiousness ! 

Plato taught, that the same crime is justifiable ; and 
CiccrOy that it is a crime of small magnitude. 

Lycvrgiis encouraged stealing by an express law. — - 
Arislippns taught, that both theft and aduUery are lawful ; 
Cicero^ that it is lawful to make war, for the sake of fame^ 
provided it be conducted without unnecessary cruelty — 
Cicero also taught, that virtue consists in the desire of 
fame. Of course, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, 
Charles the Twelfth of Sweden, and Nadir Kouli Khan, 
were among the most virtuous of mankind."^ 

Such, my hearers, were some of the doctrines of an- 
cient philosophy, whose systems are so much admired and 
applauded by modern skeptics. And it must be confess- 
ed, that their doctrines are amply delineated in the profu- 
sion of those fruits which have been productive of so much 
misery and disgrace to human society. 

'' Se^ Address to the Students of Yale College, 1797. 



DIVINE REVELATION. 211 

Let US now briefly survey the doctrines of that modern 
philosophy which rejects the divine authority of revela- 
tion, and professes to follov*^ the sober dictates of reason. 
To do this, we must appeal to the doctrines which these 
philosophers have published to the world. I have already 
quoted the testimony of some of these modern philoso- 
phers in favor of the moral and practical influence of 
Christianity ; and you may not be surprised to find them 
at war with their own confessions ; for nothing appears 
too inconsistent for their speculative minds. 

Lord Herbert has declared it as his opinion, and lays it 
down as a truth, that the indulgence of lust and aiiger 
should be no more blamed, than the thirst which is created 
by a fever, or than the drowsiness which is occasioned by 
lethargy ! Let this sentiment be admitted, end what would 
follow ? Why, all the guilt and criminality of gluttony, 
the shame of drunkenness, the sin of levv^dness, the evil of 
contention and the wickedness of revenge, are blotted out 
at a single dash, or even transformed to innocence and 
virtue ! 

Hobbes^ the celebrated English philosopher, maintain- 
ed, that every man has a right to all things, and may law- 
fully get them if he can : He declares that "A subject 
may lawfully deny Christ before the magistrate, although 
he believes Christ in his heart — That a ruler is not bound 
by any obligation of truth; or justice, and cair'do no wrong 
to his subjects." 

Tindal and Chubb maintain that every man must form 
his own rules of right and wrong, and may rightfully vary 
them according to every change of circumstance ; the lat- 
ter, that all religions are alike, the belief of a future state 
is of no use to mankind, and that God does not interpose 
in human affairs, and has nothing to do with the virtues 
and vices of human beings. Thus we see that they deny 
any, and every standard of moral virtue, and dissolve all 
the bonds of moral obligation, arising from the accounta- 
bility of man to his Maker. 

Hume asserts and teaches, that ^^ Adultery must be 
practiced, if men would obtain all the advantages of life.'* 
This doctrine, were it reduced to practice, would sunder 
the sacred ties of social and domestic life, and plunge the 



212 DEFENCE OF 

human race into the most fearful state of wretched incon- 
tinence. Nor does this doctrine stop here : for if one 
gross propensity may be indulged without restraint, then^ 
by the same parity of reasoning, may every propensity be 
indulged to the same unrestrained extent ; and piracy ;, 
rapine, and murder, become the lawful employment of ev- 
ery covetous and ambitious adventurer ! Doctrine like 
this needs no comment : Its abominable features are too 
visible to require a syllable by way of illustration. 

Lord Bolinghroke asserts, that '^ man's chief end is to 
gratify the appetites and inclinations of the flesh ; — that 
modesty is inspired by mere prejudice, — that Polygamy is 
a part of the law, or religion of nature :"* He also clearly 
intimates, that the Law or Religion of nature is not viola- 
ted by adultery, — that there is nothing wrong in palpable 
licentiousness, except it be in cases of the highest Incests 
Nay, more, that all men and women are devoid of chastity, 
and that conjugal fidelity has no existence ! His Lord- 
ship perhaps might palliate this gross insult, and unmerhed 
slander, by pleading that he measured the whole comma- 
nity by the standard of himself 

I forbear to trouble you with a notice of Shaftesbury, 
Voltaire, Woolston, Rochester, Wharton and Blount ; or 
with any comment upon their doctrmes or their lives ; 
neither of which would afibrd you pleasure, but swell the 
picture of tl-^pravity, already too painfully disgusting to 
the mind of modest and religious sensibility. Nor should 
I esteem any excuse a sufficient apology for the disclos- 
ures to which Lhave been led, h\ this discourse, were it 
not for the advantages which it is hoped may result from 
contrasting the doctrines and moral influence of the gos- 
pel, with the opposite character of those with which we 
are presented in the labored systems of ancient heathen 
and modern skeptical philosophers. 

The contrast is now before you ; and I cannot doubt 
that every candid mind will discover and acknowledge the 
God-like sweetness, moral beauty, and practical excellence 
of Christianity, while li shrinks with horror from the dead- 
ly grasp and pestilential influence of philosophical infidel- 
lity ! 
* See Dr. Dwi,^ht's Address, p. 2>5, 



DIVIKE REVELATION, ^13 

It is indeed, astonishing to your speaker, that any man 
can embrace and advocate such systems of i;amp/ii/osop%, 
and yet cherish in his bosom, a single sentiment of real 
patriotism, or one latent spark of genuine philanthropy ! 
Reason, benevolence, and love of country, all plead with 
us to beware of their fatal influence ; an influence that 
would wither every lovely flower and blast the choicest 
fruits, that beautify, adorn, and sv/eeten the garden of 
life ! That would dissolve every noble and virtuous tie 
that can bind man to man, or that render society peaceful, 
prosperous and happy ! 

We will now proceed to contrast the hopes of skepti- 
cism with those which revelation unfolds. And /ioit>, and 
wherej shall I begin this contrast ? The task is truly diffi- 
cult to be performed : — Not on account of the prospects 
which revelation furnishes ; but on account of the barren- 
ness of the materials which skepticism affords. A prob- 
lem in Euclid, even the most difficult problem, is easy of 
solution when compared with the labor of describing the 
hopes of skepticism, — for it is extremely doubtful whether 
there ever was, or ever can be, any thing belonging to the 
systems of infidelity, which have as yet appeared, that 
can rationally claim the signature of hope ! But we must 
patiently labor with such materials as-we can find^ however 
scanty and imperfect. 

Among all the systems of modern skepticism, we find 
but one, (and this even very doubtful, as to its sincerity,) 
which professes to believe in a future intellectual exist- 
ence, without immediately and plainly contradicting the 
sentiment. Mr. Paine tells us, that he ^' hopes for happi- 
ness beyond this life." But what is hope ? It is not a 
mere desh^e^ but desire and belief united : But beliefs or 
faith^ is impossible, without something which amounts to 
evidence in the mind, of the reality of that which is the 
object of desire. Now, what evidence had Mr. Paine, to 
support the hypothesis of a future existence ? He certain- 
ly could not derive it from nature ; for nature teaches no 
such truth : — It shows us the certain truth that all its pro- 
ductions have a beginning, growth, maturity and decay ; 
and evinces the succession of new forms : but i\ furnishes 
no evidence that the same identical plant or animal »ur- 



214 DEFENCE OF 

vives the dissolution of all its organs ; nay, it proves that 
they do not. From what, then, could he derive this hope? 
Certainly not from philosophy ; for philosoj)hy is '' the 
knowledoje of things natural and moral, grounded upon 
reason and experience." He could not pretend that he 
had any experience of a future existence and happiness, — 
and as reason cannot emhrace a proposition for which 
there is no evidence ; and as there is no such evidence in 
nature, it follows, undeniably, that he did not believe what 
he professed, nor had he any hope of future happiness ! 
for he rejected, ridiculed and slandered the scriptures, as 
a tissue of falsehood and deception : and these contained 
the only evidence which he could obtain, of future exist- 
ence and happiness. As skeptics, therefore, can have no 
hope of future life and happiness, what are their hopes ? 

We answer — They have nothing to hope for i»4his life, 
but a transient period of alternate joys and sorrows, of 
pleasures and pains, of health and sickness, of honor and 
disgrace, of prosperity and adversity, of friendship and 
enmity, of light and darkness ; while every joy is embit- 
tered by the reflection, that it is soon to be obliterated by 
the darkness of the grave ! He is a prey to continual dis- 
appointment, for he finds not the undisturbed enjoyments 
which can satisfy his desires. AH his hopes are bounded 
by the narrow span of life, and the grave closes in upon 
all his prospects ! How cold and gloomy the thought, that 
nought but rottenness and eternal oblivion remains for him, 
when he shall have dragged out the little remains of this 
miserable and imperfect existence ! Alas, poor man ! He 
is '^ without God, and without hope in the world !" For 
all that he anticipates, is unworthy of that endearing name. 
Behold him on the bed of death ; a sullen gloom over- 
spreads his countenance ! His wife, his children, gather 
around him, — affection kindles in his soul, and nerves him 
for a new and unspeakable torture, — O the dreadful, the 
horrid thought that he shall never see them more ! Wildness 
seizes his brain ; his heart-strings burst with unutterable 
anguish ; the crumbling frame of nature yields to the con- 
vulsive pangs of death, and sinks to the shades of eternal 
night ! 

How different the prospects which revelation unfolds : 



DiTlNE REVELATIOS\ ^l5 

it diminishes none of the joys and prospects which the 
present life holds up to view ; but heightens and refines 
the pleasures of their enjoyment; The confidence which 
it inspires in the unerring wisdom and g(»odness of God^ 
sweetens e%ery reflection upon the order of his provi- 
dence, and gives a higher zest to all the bounties which 
that providence bestows. The hopes which revelation 
supplies, moderate the sorriuvs, and lighten all the afrlic^ 
ticns, to which we are exposed, in passing through this 
vale of tears, by assuring us that all our trials are order- 
ed by infinite wisdom, for our good ; and that" these light 
afflictions, which are but for a moment, shall work for us 
a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." 

In seasons of great calamity and danger, they exert a 
still more visible influence, by arming the soul with a 
calm and undaunted fortitude, inasmuch as they afford the 
assurance, that the issue of all events is at the entire dis- 
posal of a God of unerring wisdom and almighty power. 

By the light which revelation supplies, the believer be^ 
holds all the transient joys and blessings of time, moving 
on like shadows, to usher in a perfect day 1 Is the com- 
panion of his heart's kindest affections^ or the child of his 
doting fondness, called to enter the dark valley of the 
shadow of death } his heart is comforted under the heavy 
load of affliction, by a gloriousprospect beyond the grave I 
Approach now, and behold a father, or a mother, upon the 
bed of death — What calm, what sweet composure of mind, 
is their invaluable privilege ! As they witness the approach 
of death, their thoughts extend beyond the grave, and the 
eye of faith lights on the distant but certain prospect of 
immortality ! While they fold their Utile ones, the tender- 
est objects of their mutual affection^ in the last affecting 
embrace for time., their souls are bursting with gratitude to 
God for the glorious assurance, that they shall soon meet 
them in a world of unfading bliss, and be clad in the ha- 
biliments of immortal joy and praise ! It is their unspeak- 
able privilege to '' know, that if this earthly house of their 
tabernacle v>^ere dissolved, they have ia building of God^ 
an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." 

To say nothing of the advantages and infinite consola- 
tions which the hopes of the gospel inspire, through all 



-IB DEFENCE OF, &C. 

the journey of life ; how much they contribute to strength- 
en and refine every social and virtuous affection of the 
heart ; and what reconciliation and peace they inspire, 
under all the allotments of a righteous providence, — What 
can equal their importance in the hour of death ? when 
all earthly prospects are fading upon the sight ! O it is 
then, amidst death's last alarms, that the believing heart, 
the conscious soul, can " with joy draw water from the 
wells of salvation," and (eel his undying hopes anchor 
within the veil of glory ! All things"^ else are less ihan 
nothing and vaniuj, when compared with the hopes of the 
gospel : The joys which they inspire, are unspeakable, 
because they are full of glory ! O then, give me these 
blissful, these invaluable hopes ! And if it need be so, 
strip me of every other comfort ; but in mercy, spare my 
hopes ! They shall support my trembling heart amidst the 
fiercest storms of trouble, and cheer the last faint glim- 
merings of departing life, with visions of celestial and un- 
ending joy ! 

They widen and expand their vision, till they grasp the 
innumerable myriads of creation ; till they encircle a 
world redeemed, till they swell the full chorus of angels 
in honor of a Saviour's victorious triumph over all rebel- 
lion and death ; till they unite the songs of angels and of 
men, and bear the notes of immortal triumph and salva- 
tion, from '^ every creature in heaven, earth and sea ;" 
till unnumbered millions, that have passed away, and mil- 
lions of millions yet unborn ; yea, till the whole universe, 
redeemed from sin and death, and ransomed from the pow- 
er of the grave, join to swell the seraphic raptures of eter- 
nity, and bathe in rivers of immortal bliss ! 

Receive, then, I beseech you, this inestimable treasure, 
the revelation of the most high God. Let no considera- 
tions of pride or shame rob you of a treasure~so vast and 
inconceivable ! And remember, that, " If thou be wise, 
thou shalt be wise for thyself: But if thou scornest, thou 
alone shalt bear it." 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: August 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

] 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 1 6056 
(724)779-2111 



